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Steps of the Decision-Making Process

 7 Steps of the Decision-Making Process

1.    Identify the decision.

2.    Gather relevant info.

3.    Identify the alternatives.

4.    Weigh the evidence.

5.    Choose among the alternatives.

6.    Take action.

7.    Review your decision.

1. Identify the decision: To make a decision, you must first identify the problem you need to solve or the question you need to answer. Clearly define your decision. If you misidentify the problem to solve, or if the problem you’ve chosen is too broad, you’ll knock the decision train off the track before it even leaves the station.

2. Gather relevant information: Once you have identified your decision, it’s time to gather the information relevant to that choice. Do an internal assessment, seeing where your organization has succeeded and failed in areas related to your decision. Also, seek information from external sources, including studies, market research, and, in some cases, evaluation from paid consultants.

3. Identify the alternatives: With relevant information now at your fingertips, identify possible solutions to your problem. There is usually more than one option to consider when trying to meet a goal—for example, if your company is trying to gain more engagement on social media, your alternatives could include paid social advertisements, a change in your organic social media strategy, or a combination of the two.

4. Weigh the evidence:  Once you have identified multiple alternatives, weigh the evidence for or against said alternatives. See what companies have done in the past to succeed in these areas, and take a good hard look at your own organization’s wins and losses. Identify potential pitfalls for each of your alternatives, and weigh those against the possible rewards.

6. Take action:  Once you’ve made your decision, act on it! Develop a plan to make your decision tangible and achievable. Develop a project plan related to your decision, and then set the team lose on their tasks once the plan is in place.

7. Review your decision: After a predetermined amount of time—which you defined in step one of the decision-making process—take an honest look back at your decision. Did you solve the problem? Did you answer the question? Did you meet your goals?

 

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