newkayak12 Tradeoff Articulator
When to Use / When Not to Use
Use when:
- A decision involves giving up something real, even if it's not obvious yet
- Someone frames an option as "obviously better" (that framing hides tradeoffs)
- The costs of each option need to be visible before deciding
Not for:
- Making the actual choice once trade-offs are on the table
- Consequence chains after a decision (use second-order-thinker)
Process
Step 1 — Find the true axes.
MCP note: If think-tool is available, use it before accepting the user's framing of the axes. What axes are assumed? Are there hidden ones?
Most people name only the obvious axis. Probe for:
- Reversibility: can you undo this? What does undoing cost?
- Optionality: does this keep future paths open?
- Cognitive load: which is easier to maintain or explain?
- Risk profile: variance, not just expected value
- Who pays: cost shifted to users, teammates, future-you, downstream systems
Step 2 — Build the tradeoff matrix. Qualitative description first — no false-precision scores.
Option | Speed | Cost | Reversibility | Cognitive Load | Risk
Option A | +++ | -- | high | low | low variance
Option B | + | + | low | high | high upside
Step 3 — Name opportunity costs. For the leading option: "Choosing X means giving up Y." Make it concrete, not vague ("giving up some flexibility" → "giving up the ability to switch databases without a full rewrite, ~3–6 weeks in year 2").
Step 4 — Surface multi-criteria conflicts. Find axis pairs that pull in opposite directions. Name the conflict — do not resolve it.
Step 5 — Check for hidden costs:
- Short-term vs long-term: does cheaper now create debt?
- Local vs systemic: does locally optimal create coordination costs elsewhere?
- Explicit vs implicit: is any cost being absorbed silently?
Output Template
- Axes identified — including hidden ones surfaced
- Tradeoff matrix — qualitative, not scored
- Opportunity costs — explicit "choosing X gives up Y" statements
- The real conflict — the axis pair where tension is unavoidable
- Hidden costs — what's invisible in the original framing
- Optional: "To decide, you need to answer: [the key question]"
Do NOT add a recommendation unless explicitly asked.
What Claude Does / What You Do
| Claude | You |
|---|---|
| Finds hidden axes beyond what was named | Provide the options and stated tradeoffs |
| Names opportunity costs in concrete terms | Confirm whether the hidden axes are real in your context |
| Identifies where cost is being shifted rather than eliminated | Decide which axis matters most for your situation |
| Surfaces the unavoidable tension between conflicting axes | Make the choice with full cost visibility |
Related Skills
second-order-thinker— for downstream consequences of each optionassumption-extractor— for surfacing premises that predetermine which tradeoffs appear