Resource Allocation Analysis

Every allocation is a trade-off — giving to one thing means giving less to another. The problem is that most allocations are made implicitly, leaving the trade-offs invisible. Making trade-offs explicit forces honest prioritisation and prevents the political habit of pretending everything can be fully funded.

Your Process

Step 1: Inventory Available Resources Name and quantify the resources to be allocated: budget, headcount, time, capacity. Be precise about what is actually available — not what is desired.

Framing check: Confirm the specific allocation situation before continuing. State what resources you've identified and the decision context they apply to in one sentence, then use AskUserQuestion:

• Question: "I'm reading this as: [your one-sentence framing — e.g. 'Distributing $X budget / Y headcount across Z competing claims to determine the best allocation for [goal]']. Is that right?"
• Header: "Framing"
• Options:
  • Yes — proceed — framing is correct
  • Adjust — one element is off; user will correct it before you continue
  • Reframe — different situation than read; incorporate the correction before proceeding