We encounter a lot of situations each day when we may have to take a decision to cope with them. Such instances always remind of the benefits of decision trees. While these decision trees are widely used in offices to take decisions at organizational levels, they are fairly used by families and individuals as well whenever an important decision is taken – a new investment or purchase of a product, for example.
There are 3 advantages of using decision trees.
- They make you aware of the risks in prior if a particular decision is taken.
- They improve your decision-making skills.
- They allow you to take a broader view of any situation and act accordingly.
Instead of creating a tree on your own at the eleventh hour, it is a smart idea to make use of readily available templates. In this post, we have listed a few templates that can ease your job.
Blank decision tree templates – Decision Tree Maker
These blank templates allow you to begin with the question and derive the outcomes to take a decision. There are a few things to keep in mind when you make use of decision trees.
- Every tree starts with a question called the primary node. For example, should I buy a car?
- For every question or decision, there are two outcomes (positive and negative) and it is important to include the keywords of those outcomes.
- When you have zeroed down to the decision, you include a circular node called the end node. It also implies that you may have to stop at that point.
The decision tree structure that is used by an organization is totally different from the ones used by individuals just like a Weekly Planner Template is used differently. In the case of organizational purpose, the tree includes specific shapes like the diamond to include condition, rectangular box to include result, circles for start and end nodes and all arrows have directions in them.
Decision tree examples – Word, Excel, Powerpoint
If you are new to the concept of the decision tree, it is important to know how to use it before you actually begin with it.
These examples can help you in understanding the mechanism and advantages associated with this tree.
All these examples allow you to play with colors to show the differences between outcomes and decisions. If you have now understood how to use them, here are a few steps to maximize the effectiveness.
- Always include a brief note next to a node if you are storing the tree for future reference.
- If there are multiple levels to your tree, differentiate with colors. You can use the same rule if there are multiple outcomes that differ based on usefulness.
- It is better to keep multiple copies of the same tree and pin it to the suitable records so you can refer to it later.
Conclusion
Each one of us is looking to maximize productivity on a daily basis, be it at home or work. Using a decision tree can make it possible and these templates can turn the entire process effective.
