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SynthBoard

Alternative · Decision Tools

An alternative to a decision matrix tool
that argues the criteria

Decision matrices turn a hard call into a weighted-sum spreadsheet. The alternative to a decision matrix tool here is a board that argues which criteria belong on the matrix at all — and why the obvious weights may be wrong.

Start free See how it works

In short

For strategic decisions, often — for a deeper reason. A matrix optimises the math of a decision you have already framed; a board argues the framing itself. Keep the matrix for tactical multi-criteria scoring and use SynthBoard where the framing is the call.

Last reviewed

An example

One ask, start to finish.
What comes back is a memo.

How a board takes a call like this: her read, who sits, what they ask first, then the call — with how sure they are, who disagreed and the first step.

Decision Tools

Example · Board of 3

What criteria are missing from the matrix I just built?

Chief of staff

This one needs a board: The Strategist, The Data Scientist and The Skeptic. The Strategist maps competitive dynamics and strategic options across multi-year horizons. Each researches alone first, then they react to one another — and on a decision, two of them take opposed sides.

  • The StrategistCompetitive Expert
  • The Data ScientistAI/ML Specialist
  • The SkepticRisk Assessor

Asked first

Has a competitor already made this move?

Yes, one hasNot that I knowWe’d be first

The board’s call

The matrix is missing a "reversibility" criterion and over-weighting "time-to-market." With reversibility added at 20% weight and time-to-market reduced from 30% to 15%, Option B (the second-place finisher) becomes the board’s pick.

Reversibility is the most common missing criterion in matrix decisions. Time-to-market is rarely as load-bearing as teams weight it.

Confidence76 · High

The Skeptic disagreed

“Do not let the new matrix become the new locked-in answer — keep it loose”

First step Test what The Skeptic flagged before you commit.this week

Board of 3 · up to 135 credits on the card · an example, not a recorded run

Other asks people bring here

Several asks in one message become several rooms, each with its expert and its own price on the card. Keep or drop any, then convene them together.

  • How would a multi-perspective panel weight these factors differently? — The Data Scientist, up to 85 credits
  • What is the steel-man case for the option my matrix scored lowest? — The Skeptic, up to 85 credits
  • Where is my matrix's scoring leaning on confirmation bias? — The CFO, up to 85 credits

What you get

What she handles.
On this kind of call.

A board that argues the criteria

Opposed experts argue which factors matter, how much, and which ones the obvious framing missed entirely.

The case for other weights

Matrices are sensitive to weight choices. Every board includes someone whose job is to argue against the obvious answer — including the obvious weighting.

A memo, not just a number

The call, the conditions it holds under and who disagreed — a conclusion you can defend, not a score that hides the disagreement.

Why SynthBoard

Why SynthBoard for this.
Not one voice. A board.

Opposed experts vs one spreadsheet

A matrix sums one person’s weighting. A board argues whether the weighting is right, on different AI models.

Surfaces missing criteria

The biggest failure of a decision matrix is the criterion you forgot. Each expert researches alone first, which is where the missing one tends to show up.

Confidence you can read

A score is opaque. The memo’s confidence drops with dissent and is never rated above 90, and the dissent stays on the page.

A consult for the quick ones

Not every matrix needs a board. A consult is one named expert, about a minute, up to 85 credits on its card.

Who sits

The experts for this call.
Each one holds a position.

Your Chief of Staff proposes who sits for the call, and every board is built with someone whose job is to argue against the obvious answer. Name an expert and they take a seat; tell her who you want on your board and they sit by default. How many seats a board has depends on your plan.

Pick an expert

Hover, tap or tab throughSwipe, then tap one
  • GPT
  • Claude
  • Gemini
  • Grok

Seats are spread across model families: GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and more.

In their words

A decision matrix hides the disagreement inside the weights. A board puts the disagreement on the page — and the decision gets better for it.
The Data Scientist AI/ML SpecialistThe Data Scientist on the underlying mechanic

Questions

Fair questions.
Straight answers.

What people ask before they bring this call to a board.

Is SynthBoard a direct replacement for a decision matrix tool?

For strategic decisions, often — for a deeper reason. A matrix optimises the math of a decision you have already framed; a board argues the framing itself. Keep the matrix for tactical multi-criteria scoring and use SynthBoard where the framing is the call.

When should I use SynthBoard instead of building a matrix?

When the decision is strategic and the criteria are not obvious, when you want opposed input on the weights, or when you want a written memo you can defend to your team. And when the matrix score feels suspicious.

When is a decision matrix still the right tool?

For procurement decisions with objective criteria, vendor scoring with weights agreed in advance, and decisions that really are about summing pre-agreed factors. Matrices are great when the framing is settled and the math is the question.

How does the price compare?

Most matrix tools are free templates; a board costs credits, shown before it runs. Free to start — 150 credits every month + 250 to start. Talking to your Chief of Staff costs nothing. A board shows its price on the card before it runs — up to 135 credits for a 3-seat board on Free — and a board never bills above its card. Paid plans are $20, $50 or $99 a month (1 credit = $0.01 USD).

What does SynthBoard NOT do that a decision matrix tool does?

No automated weighted-sum scoring, no vendor-comparison template library, no procurement-grade audit trail, no sourcing-workflow integration. SynthBoard is a board of opposed experts; matrices are scoring tools.

Can I use SynthBoard to stress-test a matrix I already built?

Yes, and it is a high-leverage use. Share the matrix, the criteria, the weights and the score. The board argues the weights, surfaces missing criteria and makes the strongest case for the option your matrix scored lowest.

Keep exploring

Nearby decisions, audiences and methods inside SynthBoard.

SynthBoard (synthboard.ai) is one place for your business, your life, and every hard call. Your Chief of Staff keeps what you tell her on file, and 24 named experts on different AI models take the calls — one expert for a consult, a board with opposed seats for the hard ones — and hand back a memo with the call, the dissent and the first move. How it works.

A different mechanic for the same hard call.
Start free, with one message.

What criteria are missing from the matrix I just built?Where is my matrix's scoring leaning on confirmation bias?What is the steel-man case for the option my matrix scored lowest?

It waits in her box after you sign up. Nothing is sent until you press send. Tell your Chief of Staff the call. She proposes who sits from 24 named experts, and nothing runs until you tap. Free to start. No card.