Common decision patterns
If you’ve created lots of spreadsheets, you probably found that you repeat common patterns again and again. This might be presenting instructions or top-level figures on the first tab of your spreadsheet. It might be a hidden (or locked) sheet containing the complex formula. Or it might be a pivot table displayed beside a graph so that people can see a quick overview or drill into the detail.
We don’t repeat these patterns out of laziness, although saving time is a good thing. We will repeat these patterns because they work and because familiar patterns are easier for people to understand. Programmers call repeatable solutions like these design patterns, and actively look to apply the patterns they’ve used previously as part of the problem-solving process.
In decision models, there are also repeatable patterns you will find yourself using again and again. Perhaps the most important is calling one decision model from another –...
