thinking-tools

Plugin thinking-tools from marketplace thinking-tools in suho/thinking-tools. Commands read from the repo's manifest — 6 days ago.

Skills (26)

• abstraction-laddering

  Abstraction laddering - reframe a problem statement by moving up ("why?") to broader problems and down ("how?") to concrete ones, to find the right problem and new solution directions. Use when the user asks whether they are solving the right problem, has a narrow or solution-shaped problem statemen

• balancing-feedback-loop

  Balancing feedback loop - analyze a self-correcting mechanism that pushes back against change toward a goal (thermostat, homeostasis, plateaus, resistance to change) by finding its goal, actual level, gap, and corrective action. Use when the user sees a plateau, a metric that snaps back, resistance

• choose-tool

  Thinking-tool chooser - pick the right untools.co thinking tool (or a short chain of tools) for the user's problem, decision, system, or message, then apply it. Use when the user wants to think something through, asks which framework or mental model fits, or shares a situation without naming a tool.

• concept-map

  Concept map (Novak and Canas) - visualize understanding of a concept, domain, or system by answering a focus question with 15-25 key entities linked by verb phrases that read as sentences, exposing knowledge gaps. Use when the user wants to learn or explain how something works, onboard to a codebase

• confidence-determines-speed-vs-quality

  Confidence determines speed vs. quality - decide whether to optimize a product, feature, or project for speed or quality from data-based confidence in the problem's importance and the solution's correctness. Use when the user debates shipping fast (MVP, prototype, hack) versus building it right (pol

• conflict-resolution-diagram

  Conflict Resolution Diagram (Evaporating Cloud, Theory of Constraints) - map two opposing positions to their underlying needs and shared goal, expose the assumptions behind the clash, and build a win-win solution. Use when the user is stuck in a disagreement with someone (or an internal dilemma) whe

• connection-circles

  Connection circles - map how a system or story works by placing up to 10 key elements (nouns that increase or decrease) on a circle, drawing cause-effect arrows marked + or -, and finding the closed feedback loops. Use when the user asks "how does this system work?", wants to see causes and effects,

• cynefin-framework

  Cynefin framework (Dave Snowden) - classify a situation as clear, complicated, complex, chaotic, or disorder, then choose the matching response (sense-categorize-respond, sense-analyze-respond, probe-sense-respond, act-sense-respond). Use when the user asks how to respond to a situation, incident, o

• decision-matrix

  Decision matrix (weighted scoring) - choose the best of several options by scoring each against weighted factors and totaling the scores. Use when the user must pick between 2+ concrete options (tools, vendors, offers, candidates, designs, approaches) based on multiple criteria, or asks "which optio

• eisenhower-matrix

  Eisenhower matrix - prioritize tasks by importance and urgency into do, schedule, delegate, and drop quadrants. Use when the user has a to-do list, backlog, or busy week and asks what to work on now, what to cut or delegate, or feels busy without progress on long-term goals.

• first-principles

  First-principles thinking - break a problem down to its basic truths with Five Whys and Socratic questioning, then rebuild an original solution from those truths instead of from convention or analogy. Use when the user needs a new solution to a hard problem, wants to challenge assumptions, or says "

• hard-choice-model

  Hard choice model - classify a decision by impact (low/high) and comparability of options (easy/hard) as a no-brainer, apples and oranges, big choice, or hard choice, then apply the matching approach and effort. Use when the user is stuck on or overthinking a decision, asks "what kind of decision is

• iceberg-model

  Iceberg model - find why something keeps happening by digging below the visible event to patterns over time, the system structures that drive them, and the mental models behind those structures, then pick high-leverage fixes. Use when the user asks "why does X keep happening?", faces a recurring pro

• impact-effort-matrix

  Impact-effort matrix - prioritize tasks, features, or projects by impact versus effort into quick wins, major projects, fill-ins, and thankless tasks. Use when the user has a backlog, roadmap, idea list, or improvement list and wants the best return on effort, or asks "what should we do first?", "qu

• inversion

  Inversion and pre-mortem - look at a problem, plan, or decision from the opposite side - what would make it fail or be the worst solution - then derive a better plan that avoids those failure modes. Use when the user only considers ideal scenarios, works on a high-stakes plan, or asks "what could go

• ishikawa-diagram

  Ishikawa (fishbone, cause-and-effect) diagram - find root causes of a problem by grouping possible causes under categories (e.g. People, Methods, Equipment, Materials, Measurement, Environment), then analyze which ones to verify first. Use when the user needs root-cause analysis of a bug, incident,

• issue-trees

  Issue trees - break a big problem into a MECE tree of smaller parts - a problem tree ("why?") to find causes, then a solution tree ("how?") for the parts that matter most. Use when the user wants to decompose, structure, or "divide and conquer" a complex problem, find where to start, or says "issue

• ladder-of-inference

  Ladder of inference (Chris Argyris) - check a conclusion, belief, or planned action for jumps in reasoning by walking down the ladder (action, belief, conclusion, assumption, interpretation, selected data, available data) and back up on the facts. Use when the user may be jumping to conclusions abou

• minto-pyramid

  Minto Pyramid (BLUF) - restructure a message, email, update, report, proposal, or pitch top-down - conclusion first, then key arguments, then supporting evidence. Use when the user wants to write or rewrite communication so busy readers get the point fast, or says "Minto", "pyramid principle", "BLUF

• ooda-loop

  OODA loop (John Boyd) - make fast decisions with incomplete data in a changing or competitive situation by cycling observe, orient, decide, act, and feeding results into the next loop. Use when the user must respond quickly to a competitor move, incident, market shift, or fast-moving situation and c

• productive-thinking-model

  Productive Thinking Model (Tim Hurson) - solve a defined problem creatively in six steps - what's going on, what's success (DRIVE criteria), what's the question (catalytic "how might we" questions), generate answers, forge the solution, align resources - ending in an action plan. Use when the user h

• reinforcing-feedback-loop

  Reinforcing feedback loop - analyze a vicious or virtuous cycle where each round's output amplifies the next, causing exponential growth or decline (compounding, network effects, flywheels, death spirals). Use when the user sees runaway growth or collapse, wants to design a flywheel, break a vicious

• second-order-thinking

  Second-order thinking - trace the consequences of a decision beyond the immediate effects by repeatedly asking "and then what?" and checking the 10 minutes / 10 months / 10 years horizons. Use when the user weighs a decision, policy, or change and wants its long-term or knock-on effects, hidden cost

• situation-behavior-impact

  Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) - turn a reaction to someone's behavior into clear, non-judgmental feedback - the situation, the observed behavior, its impact, and a question about intent. Use when the user wants to give or prepare feedback (negative or positive) to a colleague, report, manager, or

• six-thinking-hats

  Six Thinking Hats (Edward de Bono) - examine a decision, idea, or problem through six perspectives - white (facts), red (feelings), black (risks), yellow (benefits), green (ideas), blue (process) - and synthesize a balanced next step. Use when the user wants to look at something from all angles, run

• zwicky-box

  Zwicky box (morphological analysis) - generate many whole solutions to a multi-dimensional problem by splitting it into independent attributes, listing options per attribute, and combining one option from each. Use when the user wants systematic idea generation, product or feature concepts, design v

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