Why one option is no option
On This Lesson 4 topics
This lesson is planned. The outline below lists the topics it will cover. The full lesson has not been published yet.
In this lesson
explain why a decision with a single candidate is not a decision, and what a good options analysis protects.
Planned topics
- If only one option is presented, the real decision was made earlier, in private, without the evidence.
- Options let sponsors see what they give up; trade-offs become visible and owned.
- A strawman is an option written to lose; reviewers spot it quickly and stop trusting the analysis.
- Doing nothing (or "extend the old web shop") is always a legitimate baseline option.
Draft outline details
Demonstration
a one-line comparison: "we will buy Platform X" versus a page showing four options with cost, risk, and time-to-market, so the sponsor can see which trade-off they are choosing.
Check your understanding
What is a strawman option?
Show answer
An alternative written weakly on purpose so the favorite wins.
Practice
Apply this lesson with the module's lab, exercises and quiz.
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