Pros and Cons List Template
Better evaluate decisions with the help of the Pros and Cons List Template. See the big picture and make smarter choices.
Trusted by 65M+ users and leading companies
About the Pros and Cons List Template
Use the pros and cons list template to outline all of the advantages and disadvantages of a specific decision. Consider what benefits, favorable outcomes, and wins you anticipate, as well as what costs, risks, or adverse consequences your decision has.
What is a pros and cons list?
Pros and cons list is a simple but powerful decision-making tool used to help understand both sides of an argument. Pros are listed as arguments in favor of making a particular decision or action. Cons are arguments against it.
Creating a list that details both sides of the argument makes it easier to visualize the potential impact of your decision. Making your pros and cons list objectively can help weigh each pro and con against the others. You can then present your decision with confidence, making a solid argument for why it's the right one.
The pros and cons template makes it easy to brainstorm, organize your thoughts, and see the positive and negative sides of a decision at a glance.
How to use the pros and cons list template
Miro's pros and cons template can help you and your team make informed decisions. Here are the steps to use the template:
Brainstorm: Set aside some time to brainstorm with your team around a decision or choice. During the brainstorming session, set a timer to keep the session efficient. Ask everyone to add sticky notes to the board and group them into either the "pros" or "cons" section of the template.
Cluster ideas: Once you have a list of pros and cons, cluster the ideas according to topics or themes. Identify the most common themes on your list and group them together.
Color-code: Organize the clusters by color-coding them to make it easier to identify each one.
Group discussion: Analyze which factors are more decisive than others and generate a group discussion to explore each factor in more detail. This process can help you make a more informed decision based on the pros and cons of each option.
By following these steps, you and your team can use the Miro pros and cons template to make effective decisions.
Why use a pros and cons list template?
They are a simple and convenient tool to help you weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a particular decision or action.
Pros and cons lists are useful for gathering different arguments and perspectives, which can clarify the matter and provide a broader understanding of the situation.
They allow you to systematically organize your thoughts and considerations, which can help you make a more informed decision.
This approach can help highlight knowledge gaps and areas where you might need further research.
By using a pros and cons template, you can reduce the risk of making a hasty or irrational decision, which can lead to negative consequences.
Pros and cons lists are often used in diverse areas of life, including business, personal life, and education, among others.
Pros and cons list examples
Here is a simple example of a pros and cons list in action. Let's say you need to decide whether or not to buy a new car.
Examples of Pros:
New car is safer
New car gets better gas mileage
New car has more cargo space
Examples of Cons:
New car is expensive
Old car runs fine
Insurance will cost more on the new car
In the above example, you see that both sides of the decision are considered. For instance, does the mileage compensate for the expensive insurance? Or does the safety outweigh the new car’s price? These comparisons from using a pros and cons list maker will help the person decide whether purchasing a new car is the right decision.
What are pros and cons lists used for?
Creating pros and cons list is an easy way to reduce uncertainty and promote transparency. By listing the advantages and disadvantages of each choice, you build an objective decision-making process unswayed by bias or emotion. Weighing your arguments against each other can provide further evidence against or in favor of a choice.
What is the format of a pros and cons list document?
A document that lists the pros and cons of a decision or topic typically follows a simple format consisting of two sections: "Pros" and "Cons." The document starts with clearly stating the decision, choice, or topic being considered. The "Pros" section lists all the positive aspects, each itemized for clarity and specificity. Similarly, the "Cons" section details all the negative aspects of the decision. This format offers a concise and organized method to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a particular situation, which helps people or teams make well-informed decisions.
Get started with this template right now.
Meeting Reflection Template
Works best for:
Meetings, Brainstorming, Team Meetings
When schedules get hectic, “learning by doing” becomes the default way to learn. So make time for your team to learn in other valuable ways — by reflecting and listening. Led by “learners,” (team members who share with the rest of the team), a meeting reflection lets teammates share new information about a client’s business or an internal business initiative, offer problem-solving techniques, or even recommend books or podcasts worth checking out. Meeting reflections also encourage colleagues at all levels to engage in each other’s professional development of their teammates.
Annual Event Planner Template
Works best for:
Planning, Project Management
Miro's Annual Event Planner Template is a powerful tool that can help you improve your organizational strategy and simplify the coordination and execution of events throughout the year. One of its main benefits is that it enables seamless collaboration among team members. The template provides a centralized space where everyone can contribute, discuss, and monitor progress in real-time, which promotes clear communication and speeds up decision-making processes. As a result, you can expect to deliver more successful and memorable events. Elevate your planning experience and unlock unparalleled teamwork with Miro's Annual Event Planner Template.
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) Template
Works best for:
Leadership, Strategic Planning, Project Planning
Clarity, focus, and structure — those are the key ingredients to feeling confident in your company’s directions and decisions, and an OKR framework is designed to give them to you. Working on two main levels — strategic and operational — OKRs (short for objectives and key results) help an organization’s leaders determine the strategic objectives and define quarterly key results, which are then connected to initiatives. That’s how OKRs empower teams to focus on solving the most pressing organizational problems they face.
Eisenhower Matrix Template
Works best for:
Leadership, Strategic Planning, Prioritization
Have an overwhelming list of to-dos? Prioritize them based on two key factors: urgency and importance. It worked for American president Dwight D. Eisenhower, and it can work for you—this decision-making framework will help you know where to start and how to plan your day. With our template, you can easily build an Eisenhower Matrix with a quadrant of key areas (Do, Schedule, Delegate, and Don’t Do) and revisit it throughout the day as your priorities change.
Fishbone Diagram Template
Works best for:
Operations, Diagrams, Workflows
What is the best way to solve any problem your team faces? Go straight to the root. That means identifying the root causes of the problem, and fishbone diagrams are designed to help you do it best. Also known as the Ishikawa Diagram (named after Japanese quality control expert Kaoru Ishikawa), fishbone diagrams allow teams to visualize all possible causes of a problem, to explore and understand how they fit together holistically. Teams can also use fishbone diagrams as a starting point for thinking about what the root cause of a future problem might be.
Kanban Framework Template
Works best for:
Kanban Boards, Agile Methodology, Agile Workflows
Optimized processes, improved flow, and increased value for your customers — that’s what the Kanban method can help you achieve. Based on a set of lean principles and practices (and created in the 1950s by a Toyota Automotive employee), Kanban helps your team reduce waste, address numerous other issues, and collaborate on fixing them together. You can use our simple Kanban template to both closely monitor the progress of all work and to display work to yourself and cross-functional partners, so that the behind-the-scenes nature of software is revealed.