A decision job aid puts the conditions and their priority where someone makes the choice. Show what overrides a shortcut and what information must be known first. A compact table is useful only when its rules give the intended answer to the awkward cases.
This original fictional example routes documents for review. Its rules are practice material, not an organization's actual approval policy.
Write the source rules before designing the aid
The exercise supplies three rules:
- R1: An external audience requires the external-review route regardless of document length.
- R2: An internal-only document over two pages requires editorial review.
- R3: An internal-only document of two pages or less uses the standard check.
Unknown audience is not another name for internal-only. A one-page count cannot resolve who the document is for.
The Bureau of the Fiscal Service publishes job aids including a decision tree that uses criteria to identify potential solution categories. It illustrates how an aid can support a choice during work. Our routing rules and table are independently authored and do not use Treasury's categories or imply its endorsement. See the supplementary tools and job aids.
Make the conditional table complete
| Audience | Two pages or less | Over two pages | Length unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| External | External-review route: R1 | External-review route: R1 | External-review route: R1; length does not change this route |
| Internal-only | Standard check: R3 | Editorial review: R2 | Clarify length before choosing R2 or R3 |
| Unknown | Clarify audience | Clarify audience | Clarify audience |
The external rule comes first because the supplied policy makes it independent of length. For an internal-only document, length is required to choose between R2 and R3. For an unknown audience, clarify audience before assigning a route.
These conditions describe which review route applies. They do not say that the review happened or that the document is approved.
Test the case a shortcut would miss
Consider the flawed aid:
If two pages or less, use standard check. If external, use external review.
For an external one-page document, both statements appear applicable. A length-first implementation might stop at standard check, contradicting R1. Changing the button color would not fix the underlying overlap.
The corrected rule makes the scope explicit: “If internal-only and two pages or less, use standard check.” It also retains the higher-priority external rule. Now the conditions agree with the supplied routing policy.
Try these worked cases:
| Case | Inputs | Route and reason |
|---|---|---|
| A | External, one page | External review under R1, despite short length. |
| B | Internal-only, three pages | Editorial review under R2. |
| C | Unknown audience, one page | Clarify audience; no route inferred from length. |
Add internal-only, two pages as a boundary case: R3 applies. A missing or invalid page count should request correction when that value is needed, rather than becoming zero.
Use the rule trace
Choose the audience and document length in the example, then inspect the matched rule and why the other routes do not apply. Switch to the flawed aid to see its overlapping conditions and the external one-page error.
The blank scaffold helps a process owner record source rules, conditions, priority, exceptions, and unknown-input handling. Keep the full maintained procedure available for context. This aid solves the immediate route choice; it is not a substitute for learning or completing the review itself.
Keep temporary notes while comparing cases, and confirm before resetting. No action submits a document or routes a live ticket.
Copy this prompt for a conditional job aid
Create a complete self-contained HTML point-of-use decision job aid.
My decision: [choice]. Maintained source rules/version: [text]. Input
conditions: [values]. Priority/overlap/unknown handling: [details].
Do not turn route selection into approval or procedure completion.
Include separate fictional documentreview rules. R1 externalaudience→
externalreview regardlessoflength. R2 internalonly AND over2pages→
editorialreview. R3 internalonly AND2pagesorless→standardcheck.
Unknownaudience→clarifyaudience, neverinfer fromlength. Internalonly
unknownlength→clarifylength. External unknownlength stillR1, because
lengthdoesnotchange route. Invalidneededcount must show error notzero.
Fulltable includes audienceexternal/internal/unknown against length
≤2/>2/unknown. Test Aexternal1page R1; Binternal3pages R2;
Cunknownaudience1page clarify; Dinternal2pages R3.
Compare flawed lengthfirst aid “≤2pages standard; external external”
whose overlap misroutes external1page iffirstmatch, with corrected
priority and internalonlycondition. Let users select inputs, trace
matchedrule/exclusions, compare flawed/corrected cases, and enter blank
source/conditions/priority/exception notes. Retain notes across views/
validation, confirm reset. No approval, live routing, ticket creation,
completioncounter, or policyclaim beyond fictionalrules.
Use labeled keyboard-accessible native controls, visible focus, system
fonts at least16px, readable360px layout without horizontal scrolling,
inline CSS/JavaScript, no dependencies. Return complete HTML.
Review the exception with the process owner
Share the prepared aid in NOS with the person responsible for the routing rules and walk through the external one-page case together. Keep the rule trace visible as they check the wording. If the aid says only “short document,” directly revise it to “internal-only document of two pages or less” so the condition survives the next quick read.