Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Choosing a Decision

In developing plans, sometimes there are just too many options.  While it is poor management to leap to conclusions, some degree of intuition is required for good decision-making.  

Generating options is useful to ensure the problem or project is examined from many perspectives.  Trying to work with too many options delays action needlessly.  Excessive analysis of the options can be time-consuming while yielding little benefit.  

Try using the following checklist to evaluate options.  Rank the options according to how well they address each factor.  As you work through the list, eliminate the lowest-ranking option before moving on to the next evaluation process; thus, the number of options is reduced at every stage.  (The order is not particularly important and may change according to the organization's culture.)

1. Fits the budget available.
2. Can be accomplished on time.
3. Has more than one supporter.
4. Accomplishes all project goals.
5. Expertise for implementation available.
6. Simple, elegant solution

If there are still multiple options available after this analysis, select the one that appeals to you, as the manager.  This is using your intuition based on your years of experience.


No comments:

Post a Comment