How to make good decisions
When trying to make a group decision, it's useful to
have a framework you can work through to reach the decision.
If you don't, you can spend a long time getting nowhere.
To make a good decision you need to be open-minded,
and to understand that decision-making is different
from problem solving or planning. The following
is a good process to follow :
- What is the decision you
need to make? (Definition)
- Why do you need to make
the decision? (Aim)
- What do you have to keep
in mind? (Criteria)
- Work out the options
- Choose what kind of tools
to use
- Review the decision
Imagine that you're moving offices, and you have to
choose the premises you're going to move into. How do
you go about making this decision?
What is the decision you need to make? (Definition)
Make sure that the decision is necessary and that you've
set aside time to make it properly – and then try
to define the decision. Write the definition of the
decision down, and make sure the definition is logical
and not too complicated.
Try not to write an either/or definition e.g. 'To move
premises or to stay where we are.' By just giving yourselves
two options, you close down the scope of your decision.
Try to be as open-minded as possible. For example, in
this case the definition could be 'To move to new premises.'
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Why do you need to make the decision? (Aim)
The definition of the decision and the aim are two different
things. You need to work out the aim of the decision.
So, the definition could be 'To move to new premises'
while the aims are 'To develop the organisation and
expand our activities' and 'To involve everybody in
the process.'
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What do you have to keep in mind? (Criteria)
There will be lots of things you'll have to keep in
mind when making a decision – these are called
the criteria. Criteria are any considerations you need
to take into account, like your resources, the features
you may want to see included, and the future outcome
of your decision.
Make the criteria clear, concise, and comprehensive
- but try to keep them short. For example 'We need 1,000
square metres of floor space' and 'We need a lease of
10 years', 'The budget for alterations is £3,500.'
You might also want to give the criteria 'weights' from
1 to 10, so that you know how important each one is.
However, you may not be able to make a decision where
all your criteria are fulfilled, and some may fall by
the wayside.
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Work out the options
Defining the options can come after a period of research
(for instance, when working your way through the scenario
you may want to consult estate agents or your treasurer),
from brainstorming, or from listening to expert advice.
If you come up with a list of, say, three options, you
can then go through a process of comparing the options
with the criteria you've already worked out. That way
you'll come to a much better final decision.
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Choose what kind of tools to use
Now that you're armed with criteria and options, you
can think about the decision-making method you'll use.
This could be consulting experts, a process of elimination,
cross-referencing the options and the criteria, putting
it to a vote, building consensus or participatory appraisal.
The important thing is to come to a decision that everyone
can live with.
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Review the decision
Once you've made your decision, you need to have a final
check that it's the right one and that it reflects all
your criteria. Make sure that you haven't got carried
away from your original aims, or made a biased decision
that doesn't reflect your criteria.
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