The S&T tree is the organizer of all the knowledge gained by analyzing an organization using the other thinking processes. The logical structure of the S&T tree guides organizational focus – starting from the highest objective, the S&T tree logically derives which actions must be taken in which order at all levels of the organization.An S&T tree provides the roadmap to build, capitalize, and sustain a decisive competitive edge.

The S&T Tree for Reliable Rapid Response (RRR) was created for manufacturers that sell products to other manufacturers for use in their products, and that want to create a decisive competitive edge based on reliability and rapid response to customer needs. A manufacturer is highly reliable when it consistently has high due date performance. In some instances, customers require urgent or immediate completion of orders. The “cherry on the cake” of a RRR Decisive Competitive Edge is achieved when a manufacturer, contrary to its competitors, is also able to respond to significantly shorter production lead times to satisfy immediate customer needs.