Context–Constraints–Tradeoffs–Reversibility (CCTR)
A four-part decision framework that ensures product leaders evaluate decisions against their real operating conditions before committing.
Context
Product teams often make decisions using frameworks designed for ideal conditions. CCTR is a grounding framework that surfaces the actual conditions under which a decision must be made before evaluating options.
Model Explanation
Context What is actually true right now? What does the data say? What has the team tried before? What are users experiencing? Context prevents decisions from being made against assumptions rather than reality.
Constraints What cannot change? Time, budget, team capacity, technical architecture, regulatory requirements, contractual commitments. Constraints eliminate options before evaluation begins, which speeds decision-making and prevents sunk cost.
Tradeoffs Given the context and constraints, what must be sacrificed to achieve the outcome? Every significant product decision involves a tradeoff. Making it explicit prevents post-hoc rationalization and stakeholder surprise.
Reversibility How hard is it to undo this decision if the hypothesis is wrong? High-reversibility decisions should be made fast and low in the organization. Low-reversibility decisions require more deliberation and should escalate.
Application
Use CCTR in:
- Product reviews where decisions are being made without clear grounding
- Prioritization debates where stakeholders are arguing from different contexts
- Any decision that will take more than one quarter to reverse
Decision Impact
CCTR reduces the frequency of decisions that look reasonable in isolation but fail in practice because they ignored operating reality. It also accelerates decisions by eliminating options that violate constraints before evaluation begins.