Pros and Cons List Template

About the Pros and Cons List Template

Use the Pros and Cons List Template to outline all of the advantages and disadvantages of a specific decision. Consider what benefits, favorable outcomes, and wins you anticipate, as well as what costs, risks, or adverse consequences your decision has. 

What is a pros and cons list?

Pros and cons list is a simple but powerful decision-making tool used to help understand both sides of an argument. Pros are listed as arguments in favor of making a particular decision or action. Cons are arguments against it.

Creating a list that details both sides of the argument makes it easier to visualize the potential impact of your decision. Making your pros and cons list objectively can help weigh each pro and con against the others. You can then present your decision with confidence, making a solid argument for why it's the right one.

This Pros and Cons List Template makes it easy to brainstorm, organize your thoughts, and see the positive and negative sides of a decision at a glance. 

Why use a pros and cons list?

Pros and cons lists are a simple tool to help you weigh both sides of a particular decision or action. They are useful for gathering different arguments and perspectives. This approach can help highlight knowledge gaps and areas where you might need to do further research.

How to fill in pros and cons list template

First, set some time aside so you and your team can brainstorm together around a decision or choice. Set a timer to keep the session efficient, and ask everyone to add stickies to the board, grouping them in either the “pros” or “cons” section of the template.  

Let all of your ideas flow naturally as you start brainstorming. Once you've had time to generate them all, cluster them so the most important ones appear at the top of each list. Afterward, color code the clusters marking them in order of importance so you can analyze what factors are more decisive than others. 

Miro is the perfect tool to conduct pros and cons brainstorming sessions with a distributed or hybrid team. Use features like chat and @mentions to share ideas and gather feedback.

How to use a pros and cons list 

You can use the pros and cons list to make better decisions and evaluate possible scenarios. It's important to know that you should analyze this list qualitatively. The absolute number of pros and cons should not influence your decision. Remember, when deciding, there are no right and wrong answers, and most decisions have both positive and negative consequences.   

Use the pros and cons list to clarify a particular matter; it's a powerful tool for teamwork. It can also help build trust and buy-in from stakeholders. 

When evaluating your Pros and Cons List Template, add comments and stickies flagging your direction or thoughts. If you have time to make a decision, revisit the list. 

Pros and cons list examples

Here is a simple example of a pros and cons list in action. Let's say you need to decide whether or not to buy a new car.

Examples of Pros:

• New car is safer

• New car gets better gas mileage

• New car has more cargo space

Examples of Cons:

• New car is expensive

• Old car runs fine

• Insurance will cost more on the new car

In the above example, you see that both sides of the decision are considered. For instance, does the mileage compensate for the expensive insurance? Or does the safety outweigh the new car’s price? These comparisons from using a pros and cons list maker will help the person decide whether purchasing a new car is the right decision.