MECE Issue Tree

How to compose the slide:

MECE stands for Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive, which means that the categories should not overlap and that all possible causes should be considered.

• Identify the problem statement. Put this at the top of the slide. In the example slide, the problem statement is “My restaurant is not profitable.”
• Break down the problem statement into two or more main categories. These categories should be mutually exclusive, meaning that they don't overlap, and collectively exhaustive, meaning that they cover all possible causes of the problem. In the example slide, the main categories are “Increase Revenue” and “Reduce Cost.”
• For each main category, brainstorm a list of sub-categories. These sub-categories should also be mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive. For example, under the “Increase Revenue” category, there are sub-categories for “Online promotion” and “Offline promotion.”
• Continue brainstorming sub-categories until you reach a level of detail that is specific enough to be actionable. For example, under the “Online promotion” sub-category, there is a sub-sub-category for “Increase # of orders.”