Scientific research thrives on constructive, productive, and efficient progression through experimentation, data collection, and the comprehension of relevant phenomena. Our objective is to outline a structured approach to achieving self-directed understanding, utilizing a tool-based, decision-making process. This process incorporates essential prerequisites for describing the systemic phenomena to be investigated and identifying knowledge gaps by classifying existing knowledge and providing guidelines for the effective design and execution of experiments. We believe that presenting this tool in a tabular format would significantly contribute to resource-efficient research with minimal waste, ultimately advancing knowledge and fostering progress across scientific disciplines.