Decision Making Process For Making Decisions Quick
Program and project managers have to master the skill of decision making. Typically PMs are expected to not only make, but to justify, their decisions. In this post I share the process I use when making a decision, formulated some time ago by studying theory, best practices and observing the processes of others.
First, focus on finding the core of a problem. There is always a very small set of issues that must be addressed with the decision. Typically, this list is much smaller than you originally anticipate, but they are important because they form the core of your criteria for evaluating different options. One technique for finding the core of the problem is to say “No” to doing anything to solve the problem – that is, bring the option of not doing anything at all to the table. As soon as you say “No”, you need to listen very carefully to the arguments of others. You need to capture these first arguments as they will assist in forming the list of issues that must be addressed. Once the core of the problem is discovered, you can expand the decision making process to include the so-called “nice to have” components. Immediately prioritize and put the “nice to have” elements after the core elements of the problem. When making a decision, use the core and “nice to have” aspects of the problem to evaluate different options.
Second, collect and evaluate opinions. Collect the opinions of stakeholders on what the right solution looks like. Start by forming your own opinion by understanding the mindset of a stakeholder facing the problem. You need to be passionate about forming your opinion, making it dependent on finding only the best solution. Second, only after you have formed your own opinion of the best solution, then seek the unbiased opinions of stakeholders (your team, sponsor, customers, managers, etc.). The key here is to collect unbiased opinions. Steer the conversation with a stakeholder away from questions such as “what does the other guy think”. The point is to seek as many different opinions as possible. At this stage in the decision making process, avoid group meetings – as much as possible, meet with stakeholders one on one.
Third, make a decision. Don’t get stuck on defining the problem and then listening endlessly to opinions of the right solution. To make progress, you need to make a decision. Once you have collected distinctive opinions on the solution, you should be the first to make a decision. Start with resolving the core of the problem and then find the right balance of how much the solution addresses the “nice to have” elements of the problem. At this point, you may be tempted to say more time is needed. Resist the temptation and make a decision based on the information and input you have and start getting buy off from stakeholders.
Fourth, use stakeholders to refine the decision. Obviously, you cannot implement a decision on your own. If a PM makes a decision and does not get stakeholder buy off, the decision is going to become a problem both for the project and for the PM. For this reason, as soon as your decision is made, start getting agreement from others. Be precise when communicating the current version of the decision. As you discuss the solution, focus on capturing early wins by getting others to first agree on some elements of a solution and only then move the conversation to any disagreements. When progressing into more controversial parts of the solution, apply active listening techniques to facilitate the dialog and work together to find the middle ground. Refine your solution to achieve an agreement as necessary. As you get buy off from your stakeholders, take breaks to celebrate every win. It could be as short as a deep breath to establish a pause in the conversation, or a longer break if you can. Perhaps conclude the day and go home to your family such that you can restart your engagement with stakeholders with more energy in the morning.
Fifth, do not strive to make permanent or inflexible decisions. No matter how good your research is, you may need to revisit your decision. The reason may be a new data point that requires you to slightly re-shape the final decision. Alternatively, it can be a harsh reality that points out that your decision was completely wrong in the first place. Regardless, you should not be afraid to revisit the decision when new data is received. If you were wrong, be the first to admit the mistake, apologize sincerely, and put double effort into finding the new solution.
Finally, learn from your success when making decisions. There is no universal decision making process that works for everyone, every team, and for every project. You are unique, your team is unique, and every project you work on is unique. You need to constantly look for the processes that work for you and your team. Analyze every decision the team and stakeholders recognize as an outstanding achievement. Go back to your notes and identify the steps taken to achieve success in making that decision. Through a detailed analysis of every success in decision making, you can find techniques and a process that works for you.
Acknowledgement: Aubrey, thank you for inspiring me to write down my simple decision making process.
Decision making plays a big role in our lives. One decision is always equal to one risk. That’s we really need to plan well or lay on the list of the possibilities that will happen. This article is very helpful. Good that you have it posted.
Decision making is a vital role in the project manager’s work. I am thankful to you as I got much to know about from this blog.