Issue tree: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
Birdietrain (talk | contribs) Addition of a section |
added references; added hatnote; added headings; moved a section: 'See also' section goes after article body content, per MOS:LAYOUT; removed stub template since this article is starting to grow out of stub class |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Distinguish|Issue map}} |
|||
[[File:An issue tree showing how a company can increase profitability.png|thumb|An issue tree showing how a company can increase profitability: A profitability tree is an example of an issue tree. It looks at different ways in which a company can increase its profitability. Starting from the key question on the left, it breaks it down between revenues and costs, and break these down into further details.]] |
[[File:An issue tree showing how a company can increase profitability.png|thumb|An issue tree showing how a company can increase profitability: A profitability tree is an example of an issue tree. It looks at different ways in which a company can increase its profitability. Starting from the key question on the left, it breaks it down between revenues and costs, and break these down into further details.]] |
||
{{InfoMaps}} |
{{InfoMaps}} |
||
An '''issue tree''', also called '''logic tree''', is a graphical breakdown of a question that dissects it into its different components vertically and that progresses into details as it reads to the right.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=2016 |title=Strategic thinking in complex problem solving |location=Oxford; New York |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=9780190463908 |oclc=940455195 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190463908.001.0001}}</ref>{{rp|47}} |
An '''issue tree''', also called '''logic tree''', is a graphical breakdown of a question that dissects it into its different components vertically and that progresses into details as it reads to the right.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=2016 |title=Strategic thinking in complex problem solving |location=Oxford; New York |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=9780190463908 |oclc=940455195 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190463908.001.0001 |ref=harv}}</ref>{{rp|47}} |
||
Issue trees are useful in [[problem solving]] to identify the root causes of a problem as well as to identify its potential solutions. They also provide a reference point to see how each piece fits into the whole picture of a problem.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 2004 |title=Strategy survival guide: Issue trees |url=http://interactive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/survivalguide/skills/s_issue.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217163843/http://interactive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/survivalguide/skills/s_issue.htm |website=interactive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk |location=London |publisher=Prime Minister's Strategy Unit |archivedate=2012-02-17 |accessdate=2018-10-06 |ref=harv}} Also available in [http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20060213205515/http://strategy.gov.uk/downloads/survivalguide/downloads/ssg_v2.1.pdf PDF format].</ref> |
Issue trees are useful in [[problem solving]] to identify the root causes of a problem as well as to identify its potential solutions. They also provide a reference point to see how each piece fits into the whole picture of a problem.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 2004 |title=Strategy survival guide: Issue trees |url=http://interactive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/survivalguide/skills/s_issue.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217163843/http://interactive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/survivalguide/skills/s_issue.htm |website=interactive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk |location=London |publisher=Prime Minister's Strategy Unit |archivedate=2012-02-17 |accessdate=2018-10-06 |ref=harv}} Also available in [http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20060213205515/http://strategy.gov.uk/downloads/survivalguide/downloads/ssg_v2.1.pdf PDF format].</ref> |
||
==Types== |
|||
According to professor of strategy Arnaud Chevallier, there are two types of issue trees: diagnostic ones and solution ones.<ref name="Chevallier 2010"/> |
|||
According to professor of strategy Arnaud Chevallier, elaborating an approach used at [[McKinsey & Company]],<ref>Chevallier's writings (such as {{harvnb|Chevallier|2010a}} and {{harvnb|Chevallier|2016|pp=243, 265}}) cite an earlier McKinsey publication that discusses issue maps among other problem-solving techniques: {{cite techreport |last1=Davis |first1=Ian |last2=Keeling |first2=David |last3=Schreier |first3=Paul |last4=Williams |first4=Ashley |date=August 2007 |title=The McKinsey approach to problem solving |type=McKinsey Staff Paper 66 |location=New York |institution=[[McKinsey & Company]] |pages=9–13 |ref=harv}} Other earlier McKinsey-related publications discuss issue trees too, such as: {{cite book |last1=Rasiel |first1=Ethan M. |last2=Friga |first2=Paul N. |date=2002 |title=The McKinsey mind: understanding and implementing the problem-solving tools and management techniques of the world's top strategic consulting firm |series=McKinsey trilogy |volume=2 |location=Chicago, IL |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]] |isbn=0071374299 |oclc=47092065 |pages=11–29 |ref=harv}}</ref> there are two types of issue trees: diagnostic ones and solution ones.<ref name="Chevallier 2010"/> Diagnostic trees break down a "why" key question, identifying all the possible root causes for the problem. Solution trees break down a "how" key question, identifying all the possible alternatives to fix the problem.<ref>See also the how–why diagrams in: {{cite book |last1=Culmsee |first1=Paul |last2=Awati |first2=Kailash |date=2013 |origyear=2011 |chapter=Visualising complexity |title=The heretic's guide to best practices: the reality of managing complex problems in organisations |location=Bloomington |publisher=iUniverse, Inc. |isbn=9781462058549 |oclc=767703320 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CUgasLvgvdEC&pg=PA159 159–167] |chapterurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=CUgasLvgvdEC&pg=PA159 |ref=harv}}</ref> |
|||
==Rules== |
|||
Diagnostic trees break down a "why" key question, identifying all the possible root causes for the problem. |
|||
| ⚫ | Four basic rules can help ensure that issue trees are optimal, according to Chevallier:<ref name="Chevallier 2010">{{cite web |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=2 July 2010a |title=Build issue trees: diagnosis trees and solution trees |url=https://powerful-problem-solving.com/build-issue-trees/ |website=powerful-problem-solving.com |accessdate=2018-10-06 |ref=harv}} See also: {{cite web |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=14 December 2010 |title=Be insightful |url=https://powerful-problem-solving.com/be-insightful/ |website=powerful-problem-solving.com |accessdate=2018-10-06 |ref=harv}}</ref> |
||
Solution trees break down a "how" key question, identifying all the possible alternatives to fix the problem. |
|||
| ⚫ | Four basic rules can help ensure that issue trees are optimal, according to Chevallier:<ref name="Chevallier 2010">{{cite web |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=2 July |
||
# Consistently answer a "why" or a "how" question |
# Consistently answer a "why" or a "how" question |
||
# Progress from the key question to the analysis as it moves to the right |
# Progress from the key question to the analysis as it moves to the right |
||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
# Use an insightful breakdown |
# Use an insightful breakdown |
||
The requirement for issue trees to be collectively exhaustive implies that [[divergent thinking]] is a critical skill.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=6 July |
The requirement for issue trees to be collectively exhaustive implies that [[divergent thinking]] is a critical skill.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=6 July 2010b |title=Diverge effectively in your thinking |url=https://powerful-problem-solving.com/diverge-effectively-in-your-thinking/ |website=powerful-problem-solving.com |accessdate=2018-10-06 |ref=harv}}</ref> |
||
==Applications== |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
Issue trees are used to answer questions in case interviews for management consulting positions.<ref name="Cheng">{{cite book |last=Cheng |first=Victor |date=2012 |chapter=The issue tree |title=Case interview secrets: a former [[McKinsey]] interviewer reveals how to get multiple job offers in consulting |location=Seattle, WA |publisher=Innovation Press |pages=73–102 |isbn=9780984183524 |oclc=803397971}}</ref> A quantitative type of question, the [[Market analysis#Market size|market sizing]] question, requires the interviewee to estimate the size of a data group such as a specific segment of a population, an amount of objects, a company's revenues, or similar.<ref>{{cite web |title=Market sizing |url=https://www.gradinterviewprep.com/market-sizing |website=gradinterviewprep.com |accessdate=2019-07-31}}</ref> The candidates are expected to use a structured and logical method of arriving at their answer, and using an issue tree provides a diagram to aid the candidate's logical reasoning. Issue trees are used for other types of case interview questions as well.<ref name="Cheng"/> |
|||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
* [[Five whys]] |
* [[Five whys]] |
||
* [[Ishikawa diagram]] |
* [[Ishikawa diagram]] |
||
* [[Issue map]] |
|||
* [[Root cause analysis]] |
* [[Root cause analysis]] |
||
* [[Why–because analysis]] |
* [[Why–because analysis]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
Issue trees are commonly used to answer market sizing (also known as guesstimate) interview questions. These are questions that require the interviewee to estimate the size of a data group such as a specific segment of a population, an amount of objects, a company's revenues, or similar. The candidates are expected to use a structured and logical method of arriving at their answer and using an issue tree provides a physical diagram to aid the candidates logical reasoning to the interviewer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Interview Prep |first1=Grad |title=Market Sizing |url=https://www.gradinterviewprep.com/market-sizing |website=Gradinterviewprep |publisher=Grad Interview Prep |accessdate=31 July 2019}}</ref> |
|||
Examples of the types of interview questions that may benefit from an issue tree are: |
|||
* How many people own a dog in India? |
|||
* How many passengers pass through Dubai airport each year? |
|||
* What is the size of the Australian hairdryer market? |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
| Line 40: | Line 36: | ||
* {{cite web |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=11 April 2011 |title=Don't get lost in the terminology |url=https://powerful-problem-solving.com/dont-get-lost-in-the-terminology/ |website=powerful-problem-solving.com |accessdate=2018-10-06 |quote=Issue trees, issue maps, logic trees, ''how'' trees, ''why'' trees, diagnostic trees, solution trees, decision trees, fact trees, hypothesis trees... How should you call your trees?... Call your tree what you want it to do. |ref=harv}} |
* {{cite web |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=11 April 2011 |title=Don't get lost in the terminology |url=https://powerful-problem-solving.com/dont-get-lost-in-the-terminology/ |website=powerful-problem-solving.com |accessdate=2018-10-06 |quote=Issue trees, issue maps, logic trees, ''how'' trees, ''why'' trees, diagnostic trees, solution trees, decision trees, fact trees, hypothesis trees... How should you call your trees?... Call your tree what you want it to do. |ref=harv}} |
||
* {{cite web |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=19 February 2011 |title=Use your issue tree as a decision tree |url=https://powerful-problem-solving.com/use-your-issue-tree-as-a-decision-tree/ |website=powerful-problem-solving.com |accessdate=2018-10-06 |ref=harv}} |
* {{cite web |last=Chevallier |first=Arnaud |date=19 February 2011 |title=Use your issue tree as a decision tree |url=https://powerful-problem-solving.com/use-your-issue-tree-as-a-decision-tree/ |website=powerful-problem-solving.com |accessdate=2018-10-06 |ref=harv}} |
||
* {{cite book | |
* {{cite book |last=Friga |first=Paul N. |date=2009 |chapter=Develop the issue tree |title=The McKinsey engagement: a powerful toolkit for more efficient & effective team problem solving |series=McKinsey trilogy |volume=3 |location=New York |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]] |isbn=0071497412 |oclc=166390293 |pages=91–96 |ref=harv}} |
||
* {{cite book |last1=Garrette |first1=Bernard |last2=Phelps |first2=Corey |last3=Sibony |first3=Olivier |date=2018 |title=Cracked it!: how to solve big problems and sell solutions like top strategy consultants |location=Cham |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |isbn=9783319893747 |oclc=1028620732 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-89375-4 |ref=harv}} |
|||
[[Category:Knowledge representation]] |
[[Category:Knowledge representation]] |
||
[[Category:Problem solving methods]] |
[[Category:Problem solving methods]] |
||
{{logic-stub}} |
|||
Revision as of 02:15, 5 August 2019
 |
| Information mapping |
|---|
| Topics and fields |
| Node–link approaches |
|
| See also |
An issue tree, also called logic tree, is a graphical breakdown of a question that dissects it into its different components vertically and that progresses into details as it reads to the right.[1]: 47
Issue trees are useful in problem solving to identify the root causes of a problem as well as to identify its potential solutions. They also provide a reference point to see how each piece fits into the whole picture of a problem.[2]
Types
According to professor of strategy Arnaud Chevallier, elaborating an approach used at McKinsey & Company,[3] there are two types of issue trees: diagnostic ones and solution ones.[4] Diagnostic trees break down a "why" key question, identifying all the possible root causes for the problem. Solution trees break down a "how" key question, identifying all the possible alternatives to fix the problem.[5]
Rules
Four basic rules can help ensure that issue trees are optimal, according to Chevallier:[4]
- Consistently answer a "why" or a "how" question
- Progress from the key question to the analysis as it moves to the right
- Have branches that are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive (MECE)
- Use an insightful breakdown
The requirement for issue trees to be collectively exhaustive implies that divergent thinking is a critical skill.[6]
Applications
In management interviews
Issue trees are used to answer questions in case interviews for management consulting positions.[7] A quantitative type of question, the market sizing question, requires the interviewee to estimate the size of a data group such as a specific segment of a population, an amount of objects, a company's revenues, or similar.[8] The candidates are expected to use a structured and logical method of arriving at their answer, and using an issue tree provides a diagram to aid the candidate's logical reasoning. Issue trees are used for other types of case interview questions as well.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Chevallier, Arnaud (2016). Strategic thinking in complex problem solving. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190463908.001.0001. ISBN 9780190463908. OCLC 940455195.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ "Strategy survival guide: Issue trees". interactive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk. London: Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. July 2004. Archived from the original on 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) Also available in PDF format. - ^ Chevallier's writings (such as Chevallier 2010a and Chevallier 2016, pp. 243, 265) cite an earlier McKinsey publication that discusses issue maps among other problem-solving techniques: Davis, Ian; Keeling, David; Schreier, Paul; Williams, Ashley (August 2007). The McKinsey approach to problem solving (McKinsey Staff Paper 66). New York: McKinsey & Company. pp. 9–13.
{{cite tech report}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) Other earlier McKinsey-related publications discuss issue trees too, such as: Rasiel, Ethan M.; Friga, Paul N. (2002). The McKinsey mind: understanding and implementing the problem-solving tools and management techniques of the world's top strategic consulting firm. McKinsey trilogy. Vol. 2. Chicago, IL: McGraw-Hill. pp. 11–29. ISBN 0071374299. OCLC 47092065.{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ a b Chevallier, Arnaud (2 July 2010a). "Build issue trees: diagnosis trees and solution trees". powerful-problem-solving.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) See also: Chevallier, Arnaud (14 December 2010). "Be insightful". powerful-problem-solving.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ See also the how–why diagrams in: Culmsee, Paul; Awati, Kailash (2013) [2011]. "Visualising complexity". The heretic's guide to best practices: the reality of managing complex problems in organisations. Bloomington: iUniverse, Inc. pp. 159–167. ISBN 9781462058549. OCLC 767703320.
{{cite book}}: External link in|chapterurl=|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|chapterurl=ignored (|chapter-url=suggested) (help) - ^ Chevallier, Arnaud (6 July 2010b). "Diverge effectively in your thinking". powerful-problem-solving.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ a b Cheng, Victor (2012). "The issue tree". Case interview secrets: a former McKinsey interviewer reveals how to get multiple job offers in consulting. Seattle, WA: Innovation Press. pp. 73–102. ISBN 9780984183524. OCLC 803397971.
- ^ "Market sizing". gradinterviewprep.com. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
Further reading
- Chevallier, Arnaud (11 April 2011). "Don't get lost in the terminology". powerful-problem-solving.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
Issue trees, issue maps, logic trees, how trees, why trees, diagnostic trees, solution trees, decision trees, fact trees, hypothesis trees... How should you call your trees?... Call your tree what you want it to do.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Chevallier, Arnaud (19 February 2011). "Use your issue tree as a decision tree". powerful-problem-solving.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Friga, Paul N. (2009). "Develop the issue tree". The McKinsey engagement: a powerful toolkit for more efficient & effective team problem solving. McKinsey trilogy. Vol. 3. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 91–96. ISBN 0071497412. OCLC 166390293.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Garrette, Bernard; Phelps, Corey; Sibony, Olivier (2018). Cracked it!: how to solve big problems and sell solutions like top strategy consultants. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-89375-4. ISBN 9783319893747. OCLC 1028620732.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)