Structured comparison.
WHERE IT HELPS
Comparing products, approaches, suppliers, or courses of action.
HOW TO ASK
"Compare these three options on [criteria that matter to me]. Present as a table. State the trade-offs rather than declaring a winner."
WHY SPECIFY THE CRITERIA
Otherwise it compares on whatever is conventional, which may not be what matters to you.
WHAT IT DOES WELL
Structuring the comparison Identifying dimensions you had not considered Articulating trade-offs
WHAT IT DOES BADLY
Current specifications and prices Anything requiring recent information Knowing your actual constraints
WHAT TO SUPPLY
The current facts about each option. Do not let it recall them.
Your constraints: budget, timescale, existing systems.
THE USEFUL FOLLOW-UP
"Given that [my constraint], which would you choose and why?"
Then interrogate the reasoning rather than accepting the conclusion.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Accept a comparison of specifications the model produced from memory.
Verify every figure.
