EXAMPLE OUTPUT
What Why2Decision AI returns.
A real example using a $180k capital allocation decision.
Hire 2 senior consultants
Restated: Deploy $180k of capital to either acquire a smaller competitor, hire two senior consultants, or hold the cash, optimizing for 18-month revenue growth without breaching the $120k cash floor.
Multi-attribute scoring puts hiring (7.2) above acquisition (6.7) and status quo (5.6). Expected value confirms hiring at $186k vs acquisition at $152k. Hiring is Type-2 reversible — you can performance-manage out a hire; you cannot easily unwind an acquisition. Under medium risk tolerance and a hard $120k cash floor, the regret-minimizing option is the one whose failure mode is recoverable.
Comparison matrix (MADA)
| Option | Revenue growth in 18 months (w=0.50) | Cash safety (w=0.30) | Team culture preservation (w=0.20) | Weighted | Reversibility | EV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acquire competitor for $180k | 9 | 4 | 5 | 6.70 | Type-1 | $152,000 |
| Hire 2 senior consultants | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7.20 | Type-2 | $186,000 |
| Do nothing — keep cash on balance sheet | 2 | 10 | 8 | 5.60 | Type-2 | $0 |
Key tradeoffs
- • Acquisition has higher ceiling but a 45% chance of a -$90k outcome that breaches the cash floor.
- • Hiring trades top-end upside for distribution of risk across two people.
- • Status quo is safest on cash but penalizes the #1 priority — growth.
Risks & mitigations
- Acquire competitor for $180k: Integration failure breaches $120k reserveMitigation: Negotiate $120k cash + $60k earnout tied to retention
- Hire 2 senior consultants: One hire leaves within 12 monthsMitigation: Stagger start dates; 90-day milestone reviews; clawback on signing bonus
Premortem (top options)
- Hire 2 senior consultants: Hires don’t generate enough billable work in months 4–9 to cover loaded cost.Mitigation: Pre-sell pipeline before start dates; minimum 60% utilization target by month 4.
- Acquire competitor for $180k: Their senior people leave during integration and revenue follows them.Mitigation: Tie 30% of purchase price to 18-month retention of top 3 staff.
Regret check
Most regret if chosen and fails: Acquiring and watching the competitor’s team leave — capital gone, no revenue, and a distracted leadership team.
Most regret if not chosen: Passing on a generational acquisition that a competitor scoops up at the same price.
NEXT 24 HOURS
Within 24 hours: open the acquisition counter-offer at $120k cash + $60k earnout, and in parallel post the two senior consultant roles. Decide on day 14 with both options live.
FULL RANKING