Decision Trees ISO 31010 | Risk Assessment Technique Explained | growGRC
Decision Trees: ISO 31010 Risk Assessment Technique
Decision Trees are a structured risk assessment technique used to analyze decisions under uncertainty, compare alternatives, evaluate consequences and select actions based on probabilities, costs and expected outcomes.
Published: 8/1/2026Updated: 8/1/2026By growGRC Editorial Team
Executive Summary
Decision Trees are a risk assessment technique that helps organizations analyze alternatives under uncertainty by combining decisions, probabilities and consequences.
Key Takeaways
✓Decision Trees structure complex decisions.
✓They compare alternatives under uncertainty.
✓They are recognized by ISO 31010.
✓They improve decision transparency.
✓They support risk treatment selection.
Decision Trees: ISO 31010 Risk Assessment Technique
Executive Summary
Decision Trees are a structured analytical technique used to represent complex decisions where multiple alternatives, uncertain events and possible outcomes must be considered.
Within ISO 31010, Decision Trees support risk assessment by helping organizations evaluate choices, compare scenarios and select actions based on expected consequences.
This technique transforms uncertain decisions into visual models that show relationships between decisions, probabilities and outcomes.
Decision Trees are widely applied in enterprise risk management, investment analysis, project management, business strategy, cybersecurity, safety engineering and operational planning.
What is a Decision Tree?
A Decision Tree is a graphical representation of a decision problem composed of:
possible decisions;
uncertain events;
probabilities;
consequences;
final outcomes.
It helps answer questions such as:
Which alternative creates the highest value?
Which option provides the lowest risk exposure?
What happens if assumptions change?
Which strategy should be selected?
Decision Trees in ISO 31010
ISO 31010 recognizes Decision Trees as a technique that can support:
