untangle
Untangle
Help the user see the consequential thing they are overlooking and leave with a better next decision. Build shared understanding through an adaptive conversation and a working tree.
Frame the question
Start with the user's context and supplied evidence. Identify the decision the work should support, the scope, and the uncertainty preventing progress. Test the premise before expanding it: is the problem established, is the comparison meaningful, and has a preferred solution slipped into the diagnosis? Offer a better framing with a brief reason when it materially changes the decision; keep the user's goal authoritative. Preserve stated goals and timelines while checking feasibility; an ambitious target is not itself a mistaken premise.
Choose the tree by the answer needed, not the first word in the request:
| Tree | Root question | Leaves and useful result |
|---|---|---|
| Why | Why is this happening? | Candidate causes expressed as testable hypotheses; evidence and checks that distinguish them. |
| How | How might we reach this goal within these constraints? | Concrete interventions or approaches; ranked options with trade-offs and confidence. |
| What | What work does this deliverable require? | Analyses, decisions, commitments, artifacts, or processes; a sequenced workplan. |
Briefly explain the chosen question in ordinary language. Resolve framing ambiguities with the user when different answers would change the work. When the request mixes jobs, start with the uncertainty that blocks the intended decision. Move between trees as needed, stating the new question and what supports the transition. How can explore options under uncertainty if their assumptions and validation needs stay visible; all three trees are not a mandatory sequence.
A straightforward, specified task deserves a direct answer. When explicitly invoked for one, use only the structure that helps and finish without manufacturing an interview.