How to get Started with TBL?

Keep this guiding principle in mind: Serve the needs of decision-makers, stakeholders, and the general public.

If there is a special-purpose TBL tool that can be applied to a decision at hand, and if decision-makers understand and trust this tool (as do stakeholders and the general public, when it is explained), use it. See TBL - Special Purpose Tools

Otherwise, a general-purpose TBL framework probably makes more sense. If an organization has already refined its own TBL framework for the kinds of decisions it typically makes, and if decision-makers (and stakeholders and the general public) are satisfied with it, use it. Otherwise, a basic TBL framework such as the City of Olympia's SAM or the APWA's Framework for Sustainable Communities is a good place to start. See TBL - General Frameworks

A 3-page Facilitator's Guide for APWA's Framework for Sustainable Communities, based on a guide for SAM, includes helpful steps and tips for assisting a group of decision-makers (or their staff) apply a TBL framework to a decision. For some decisions, a group meeting of a few hours is all that is needed to identify the key values, goals, and objectives; to evaluate the key costs and benefits of different choices; to highlight risks; and to reach agreement on key trade-offs and the preferred choice. Values Laddering is one mechanism for facilitating this. A number of helpful laddering resources are linked below.

More Helpful Decision Making Resources