Trees - A Decision-Maker’s Lament

I think that I shall never see
A decision complex as that tree--

A tree with roots in ancient days
(At least as old as Reverend Bayes);

A tree with trunk all gnarled an twisted
With axioms by Savage listed;

A tree with branches sprouting branches
And nodes declaring what the chance is;

A tree with flowers in its tresses
(Each flower made of blooming guesses);

A tree with utiles at its tips
(Values gleaned from puzzled lips);

A tree with stems so deeply nested
Intuition's completely bested;

A tree with branches in a tangle
Impenetrable from any angle;

A tree that tried to tell us "should"
Although its essence was but "would";

A tree that did decision hold back
'Til calculation had it rolled back.

Decisions are reached by fools like me,
But it took a consultant to make that tree.

Michael H. Rothkopf
with apologies to Joyce Kilmer and to competent, conscientious decision analysts everywhere.
Operations Research, Vol.28, No.1, 1980.