There is a simple checklist to improve the process of decision-making. So, whenever you face a situation in which making a decision is needed, you can follow these 7 steps of decision making as a tool:
- Write down five company goals or priorities that will be affected by your decision.
- Write down at least three realistic alternatives. It might take a little effort and creativity, but try to expand your choices as much as you can.
- Write down the most important information you are missing.
- Write down the impact your decision will have in one year. Write a paragraph of what you expect. It will provide you a useful perspective for similar scenarios.
- Involve a team of at least two but no more than six stakeholders. Getting more perspectives reduces prejudice and increases your options — but bigger group shave diminishing returns.
- Write down what was decided at the end, as well as why and how much the team supports the decision. It will give you a better assessment of your decision in future.
- Schedule a decision follow-up in one to two months. This will result in minor adjustments to the situation and ends in a better understanding.
The results of this case study article show that managers who follow the above seven steps when making decisions make better and faster decisions and their output and results will improve up to 20%.
summarized by Ahmadreza Ahrarnejad
