Issue tree generator
Break any problem into questions you can answer
An issue tree splits one big question into smaller ones that don’t overlap and together cover the whole problem. On the MindMax canvas each branch is a card, and any branch can be split again — so you dig where the answer is, not everywhere at once.
- Price
- Free
- Online
- Runs in your browser — two runs with no account, then a free account
- Desktop
- Also works on your own files and writes the result up
Runs on the MindMax thinking canvas →All online tools
What an issue tree is for
Use it when a problem is too big to answer directly: “why is revenue flat?”, “should we enter this market?”, “why are customers leaving?”.
- Cut on one dimension per level — by revenue formula, by customer segment, by stage. Mixing dimensions is how branches end up overlapping.
- Each branch should be a question you could answer with data or a decision, not a topic heading.
- You rarely need the whole tree: find the branch that explains most of the problem and split only that one further.
How the canvas builds it
Type the problem
One sentence is enough — the question you would bring to a whiteboard.
Pick “Issue tree”
The framework decides how the problem is cut: which cards appear and what each one must answer.
Read the map
One card per branch, plus a hub card that says what the branches add up to.
Go deeper where it matters
Expand any item: break it down again, ask a follow-up, or apply another framework to that branch.
Where it gets hard
- Two runs with no account, then a free account
Type your problem and the canvas builds it right in your browser. Two runs need no account; after that, sign in with a free account and runs use the AI allowance in your plan. Canvases stay in this browser — export them, or share a read-only link, to keep them elsewhere.
- The structure is AI’s; the numbers must be yours
The canvas proposes how to cut the problem and what to check. The figures in the example are illustrative — on your own problem, the evidence comes from your data.
- In the desktop app today
The Decompose skill builds exactly this on the desktop canvas, and can read your own files while it does.
Common questions
What makes a good issue tree?
Branches that don’t overlap and together cover the problem (often called MECE), one cutting dimension per level, and branches phrased as answerable questions.
Issue tree or mind map?
A mind map collects everything related to a topic. An issue tree only keeps branches that help answer one question, and says which one matters most.
Is it free?
Yes. Two runs online need no account; after that a free account is enough, and runs use the Free plan’s weekly AI allowance. Exploring the examples is always free, and the AI canvas in the desktop app works on the Free plan too.
Break your problem into questions you can answer
Two runs need no account, then a free account. To work on your own files, use the free desktop app.