Skip to content

Compare options in a decision table

Turn a messy choice into a side-by-side table that shows tradeoffs, scores the criteria, and recommends a path.

Stage: Copilot Chat · For: End user, Manager · Level: Starter · Time: 5 min

When to use this

You have several options and a decision is getting stuck in opinions, partial facts, or side conversations. Copilot Chat can turn the options into a decision table so people can see the tradeoffs side by side.

Use this when the criteria matter as much as the options: cost, speed, risk, customer impact, effort, reversibility, or stakeholder fit.

What you'll need

  • M365 Copilot license — Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat in Teams, Outlook, Word, or the Microsoft 365 Copilot app
  • No agents or setup — just paste the prompt into the chat you already use
  • A list of options you are considering
  • The criteria that should drive the decision, even if they are rough

Try it now — the prompt

Open Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and paste:

Help me compare options for this decision: [decision to make].

Options:
- [option 1]
- [option 2]
- [option 3]

Criteria that matter:
- [criterion 1]
- [criterion 2]
- [criterion 3]
- [criterion 4]

Context and constraints:
[deadline, budget, stakeholders, must-haves, known risks]

Return:
- A side-by-side decision table with one row per criterion and one column per option
- A 1-5 score for each option on each criterion, with a short reason
- The tradeoff that matters most
- Your recommendation and why
- What new information would change the recommendation

Why this works: it separates options from criteria, which reduces vague debate. Asking what would change the recommendation keeps the output honest instead of pretending the first answer is final.

Step by step

  1. List the options plainly. Do not worry about perfect wording; one line per option is enough.
  2. Name the criteria. If you are unsure, include the obvious ones and add: 
    Add any missing criteria that a decision-maker would expect.
  3. Read the table across, not down. Compare how each option performs against the same criterion before reacting to the total.
  4. Challenge the scores. Ask Copilot to explain any score that feels too high or too low.
  5. Share the table. Paste it into a Teams chat, email, or document and ask stakeholders which criterion they would weight differently.

Screenshots

We deliberately don't ship screenshots that go stale — the Microsoft Copilot UI changes often. Follow the numbered steps above, which we keep current. Maintainers can regenerate fresh captures with the Playwright tool in tooling/screenshots/.

Make it better

  • Add weights: "Weight the criteria as [list weights] and recalculate the recommendation."
  • Make it neutral: "Rewrite the table so it does not favour my current preference unless the evidence supports it."
  • Stress-test the choice: "What is the strongest case against the recommended option?"
  • Prepare for discussion: "Turn this into a short decision brief with the table, recommendation, and open questions."

Watch out for

  • Scores can look more precise than they are. Treat them as a conversation aid unless they come from real data.
  • Missing criteria skew the answer. Add stakeholder, risk, or operational criteria if they matter.
  • A recommendation is not approval. Use the table to clarify the decision, then confirm ownership and next steps.

Where this leads (the ramp)

Once comparison tables become routine, the next step is a guided experience that helps collect inputs, apply standard criteria, and keep decisions moving with less manual prompting.

Next: Stage 2 · First-Party Agents

Was this page helpful?

Found an issue or want to suggest an improvement? Open a GitHub issue  ·  Star on GitHub