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What They Say...

"I had been consistently astounded by the way in which their methods for the visualization and clarification of reasoning processes enables one to impose order on chaos and see what is really going on in complex, contentious and tangled debates..."
- Dr Neil Byron, former Commissioner, Productivity Commission

"They are making a significant contribution to the improvement of analytical standards in the public policy arena, particularly among young professionals. Austhink deserves the country's thanks for this."
- Ross Babbage, Founder, Kokoda Foundation

 "Austhink's methods for dissecting and clarifying complex pieces of analysis or public policy are first class."
- LTGEN (ret) Peter Leahy, former Chief of Army

"That Austhink has devised new methods for doing this is enormously to its credit and I only hope more businesses will start to adopt such methods. It will save an immense amount of money, time and frustration for them."
- Bruce Page, Energy Consultant  

More

Resources

On this page you can find a selection of resources resulting from our work:

  • White papers
  • Reports
  • Maps
  • Speeches
  • Briefs

White papers

Enhancing Board Deliberations with Decision Mapping (pdf; 6pp)
Summary version of a longer white paper.  Abstract: Boards can improve their effectiveness by refining their decision-making processes.  To this end we recommend adoption of decision mapping to assist individual Directors to appreciate the logical structure of Board decisions, thereby enabling them to participate more effectively in Boardroom debates.  Specifically, Management would create decision maps as an integral part of preparing Board papers, and the maps would be included in the materials provided to Directors.

Facilitating Reasoning in the Law (pdf) by Dr. Paul Monk
A survey of the opinion of corporate lawyers regarding the challenges they face in doing legal reasoning and the possible utility of visual diagramming.  Commissioned by the Legal Workshop, Australian National University and conducted with the cooperation of the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association, in late 2008.  Responses indicated very clearly that the use of diagramming of particular kinds could significantly enhance corporate lawyers’ productivity.

Maps

Desalination Debate (pdf)
The desalination plant debate at a glance.  A bCisive Diagram prepared for Professor John Langford, Director of Uniwater, April 2008

Reports

Why Tanks? Why Abrams? The Application of Argument Mapping to a Contentious Public Policy Debate.
A report prepared for the Australian Army, reviewing the arguments bearing upon the controversial decision to purchase the Abrams battle tank.  An “industrial strength” application of argument mapping.

Note that these reports are designed to be printed on A3 paper.

Speeches

Colvin Villiers Oration: The Challenges of Our Time
Full text of the speech delivered at Victoria Barracks on 21 March 2009 (pdf) by Dr. Paul Monk

Enhancing our Grasp of Complex Arguments
Text by Paul Monk and Tim van Gelder.  Delivered by Paul Monk at the 2004 Fenner Conference on the Environment, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra.

Briefs

In Brief: What is Decision Mapping?

In Brief: What is Hypothesis Mapping?