Obvious Brief template

Obvious Brief v1.0
Facts → Common Knowledge → Truth (working)

Issue
[[ISSUE TITLE]]

Topic
[[TOPIC / DOMAIN]]

Primary decision
[[WHAT NEEDS TO BE DECIDED]]

Audience / Decider
[[WHO THIS IS FOR]]

Stakes (for you)
[[Low / Medium / High]]

Time horizon
[[e.g. 3–12 months]]

Prepared by
[[REVIEWER / AUTHOR]]

Date
[[DATE]]

Quick sheet (read this first)

TL;DR verdict: [[ONE-SENTENCE CONCLUSION WITH MAIN OPTION]]

Decision snapshot:

Option A (default): [[LABEL]] — recommended
Option B: [[LABEL]] — [[WHEN IT MAKES SENSE / WHO IT FITS]]
Option C: [[LABEL]] — [[WHEN IT MAKES SENSE / WHO IT FITS]]

Key reasons for our recommendation (top 3):

[[REASON 1]]
[[REASON 2]]
[[REASON 3]]

Key uncertainties / watch items (max 3):

[[UNCERTAINTY 1]]
[[UNCERTAINTY 2]]
[[UNCERTAINTY 3]]

A) Situation & stakes

Plain-language summary: [[2–4 SENTENCES: WHAT’S GOING ON, FOR WHOM, AND WHY NOW]]

What’s really at stake for you:

Money: [[e.g., “Potential impact of $X–$Y over N years”]]
People: [[who is affected and how]]
Legitimacy / politics: [[reputation, trust, political risk]]

B) Key facts & unknowns

We separate solid facts from soft claims so you see what’s actually known.

Claim / datapoint	Status	What we know	Notes
[[CLAIM 1]]	Solid	[[BRIEF EVIDENCE SUMMARY]]	[[WHY IT MATTERS / LIMITS]]
[[CLAIM 2]]	Mixed / contested	[[WHAT SUPPORTS IT, WHAT CONTRADICTS IT]]	[[RISK IF YOU TRUST IT TOO MUCH]]
[[CLAIM 3]]	Unknown	[[WHAT WE DON’T KNOW]]	[[WHAT TO WATCH / WHAT WOULD CHANGE OUR MIND]]

C) Options & tradeoffs

This is the heart of the brief: real choices, not slogans.

Option	What it looks like in practice	Main upsides	Main downsides / risks	Who mainly benefits / pays
Option A – [[NAME]] Recommended	[[CONCRETE DESCRIPTION: WHAT YOU ACTUALLY DO]]	[[UPSIDE 1]] [[UPSIDE 2]]	[[RISK 1 + HOW BIG]] [[RISK 2 + HOW BIG]]	[[WHO GAINS / WHO BEARS COSTS]]
Option B – [[NAME]]	[[CONCRETE DESCRIPTION]]	[[UPSIDE 1]] [[UPSIDE 2]]	[[RISK 1]] [[RISK 2]]	[[WHO GAINS / WHO PAYS]]
Option C – [[STATUS QUO / DELAY]]	[[WHAT “DO NOTHING / WAIT” REALLY MEANS OVER TIME]]	[[UPSIDE 1]]	[[RISK 1]] [[RISK 2]]	[[WHO GAINS / WHO PAYS]]

D) Recommendation & rationale

Our recommendation: [[OPTION A / B / C]]

Confidence level: [[e.g. “Moderate (≈70%)”]]

Why this option:

[[KEY REASON 1]]
[[KEY REASON 2]]
[[KEY REASON 3]]

What would change our mind: [[1–3 SPECIFIC CONDITIONS / NEW DATA POINTS]]

E) If you disagree or choose differently

If you lean toward a different option, here’s how to use this brief anyway:

Check your story vs the facts table: Are you relying on “unknown” or “mixed” claims as if they were solid?
Own the tradeoffs: Be explicit about who pays and who benefits under your preferred option.
Define your tripwires: What signals would make you revisit the decision?

F) Sources & methods

Main sources consulted (non-exhaustive):

[[SOURCE 1 – OUTLET / TITLE / DATE]]
[[SOURCE 2 – OUTLET / TITLE / DATE]]
[[SOURCE 3 – OUTLET / TITLE / DATE]]

We maintain internal notes using our CODE (article/claim) and ATLAS (systems & change) frameworks. For this brief:

Full CODE review: [[LINK]]
Full ATLAS analysis: [[LINK]]

Questions, corrections, or new evidence? [[CONTACT / FEEDBACK LINK]]. We treat all briefs as working documents that can be updated as facts and conditions change.