Use this tool as an effective way to identify the merits (PROS) and the drawbacks or costs (CONS) of alternatives. More then a simple pros/cons evaluation, this tool forces you to look at ways of ''FIXING” the CONS - resulting in a final 'picture' of the merits and costs (costs = the fixes, along with the cons you can't fix) for a particular alternative. This is a good technique to use when you have only a couple of alternatives to consider. This tool is also good to use when you have identified one or two remaining alternatives after using other tools (eg. Simple Ranking or SMART) to do a 'reality check' and cost/benefit analysis. I have also seen students use it effectively for indentifying linked decision to a particular alternative and implementation planning.

1. Write down the alternative you plan to evaluate

2. List up all the benefits you can. Use a white board for this, or post-it notes. Then consolidate these by combining and organizing them. (eg. combine those that are similar or redundant by expressing it as one Pro, and eliminate any frivolers PROS that are not important). Write down the consolidated PROS in the template PROS box.

3. Now list up all the Cons (using white board, or post-it notes). Organize and consolidate as you did with the PROS. Write down the consolidated CONS in the box.

4. Now get creative and look at how you can eliminate a each CON by ‘FIXING IT’. For example, say you were assessing the alternative ‘To Get Married’, and a CON listed was ‘May Divorce and lose everything in lengthy/messy divorce trial’. A FIX for this CON could be; “Enter into a prenuptial agreement before marriage”. Then you would cross out the CON – and Write the FIX in the ‘FIXES’ box.

5. Some CONS can’t be fixed. So after you have FIXED the CONS that can, ;list up the remaining un-fixable CONS in the ‘Unalterable CONS’ box.