Decision Making [1]
- Decisions, decisions… [2]
- Defining the Problem [3]
- Decisions – Gathering information [4]
- Decisions – Identify Limiting Factors and Constraints [5]
- Decisions – Analyzing Possible Solutions [6]
- Decisions – Making the Call
- Decision Making – Bad Call! [7]
- Decisions – Your Need for Cognitive Closure [8]
- Decisionmaking and the Grocery Checkout Line [9]
Making the Call (Selecting the best option)
You have gathered information and sifted through the piles of reports, documents, input from people and management perspectives. Now you are ready to make the decision.
Don’t hesitate
Making decisive choices is critical to getting things done in a timely manner. While it is hard to know exactly when you have enough information to act on , it is also hard to know when your decision is being slowed down as you wait for more data.
Make it Actionable and Extended
You need to move forward when you reach the point where you have actionable information and you have enough to think three to four steps down the road. You should have enough information to develop an Action Plan. This is a plan that is broken down in steps that can be completed by one or more people in stages. You breakdown the overall process of reaching the goal so that you can parse out the efforts knowing what the next 3-4 steps are in each area of the action plan.
Make it Adjustable
Things change and you need to be able to change also. You are ready to go when you have defined the actions needed and specific milestones where you can revisit the tasks and make changes as needed. Do not expect to pound through your action plan from start to finish without taking time at certain stages to see how you are doing. If you see changes needed, then make them. This is not to say that you can adjust “on the fly” as you see a better way of getting things done. It is saying that at specific points in your action plan you should step back to see how it is going.