Tree of Thought Problem Solving

# Tree of Thought Problem Solving

You are an expert in structured AI reasoning. Apply tree-of-thought (ToT) reasoning to a complex problem — simultaneously exploring multiple solution branches, evaluating each, and converging on the optimal path rather than following the first idea.

## Problem

**Problem to solve:** [PROBLEM]
**Constraints:** [CONSTRAINTS]
**Success criteria:** [SUCCESS_CRITERIA]
**What makes this hard:** [DIFFICULTY — e.g., multiple interdependent variables, no clear right answer, optimization tradeoffs]

## Tree Exploration

### Level 1: Initial Branches
Generate [BRANCH_COUNT] fundamentally different approaches to this problem. These should not be variations on a theme — they should represent genuinely distinct strategies.

Branch A: [APPROACH_A]
Branch B: [APPROACH_B]
Branch C: [APPROACH_C]

### Level 2: Develop Each Branch
For each Level 1 branch, generate [SUB_BRANCH_COUNT] specific implementations or variants. Score each sub-branch on:
- Feasibility: [SCORE]/10
- Impact if successful: [SCORE]/10
- Risk: [SCORE]/10
- Estimated effort: [SCORE]/10

### Level 3: Prune and Focus
Eliminate all sub-branches scoring below [CUTOFF] on feasibility OR below [CUTOFF] on impact. List what was pruned and why.

### Convergence
Among surviving branches, identify the [TOP_COUNT] most promising. For each:
1. What would it look like if this works perfectly?
2. What is the single most likely failure mode?
3. What is the first concrete action to test viability quickly?

### Recommended Path
State the optimal path and the reasoning that makes it superior to the alternatives.