Life’s events are often problematic. These problems usually span from personal to communal. In other words, there are times, we encounter them at work personally or as a team. Whatever the case may be, there is always a desire to resolve the encountered problem.
However, the manner or approach taken in addressing a problem determines if one would return to readdress the problem or not. This is because one can remain at the same problematic point if the method used does not holistically address the problem. In order to address a problem, therefore, one may employ the systematic approach. The systematic approach of addressing a problem consists of certain steps.
The first thing to do in addressing a problem is to understand the context or situation. This involves Identifying and collecting all relevant information in order to understand the issue at hand. This is because two people can face the same problem but with different contexts
Having understood the context, the next step is to define the decision problem. Here, the goal is to ensure that one knows what the problem at hand is, and that one is not seeing a symptom as a problem. The identification of a problem helps in framing one’s decision.
Furthermore, one must be guided by objectives. To attempt to address a problem implies there is a goal one wishes to achieve. Hence, in this step, the goal to be achieved must be clearly stated and kept in mind. This also helps in avoiding conflicting option as one makes effort to address the issue at hand.
Moreso, one has to brainstorm on alternatives. The purpose of this is to consider wide range of opinions, and look at the possibility of considering such alternatives in event of not been able to achieve the set objectives.
Having developed alternatives, it becomes necessary to now develop the criteria to evaluate the alternatives. These are the standards, benchmarks that will be the basis on which the alternatives one has developed would be judged. The criteria would be derived from what one has set out to achieve.
In addition to developing the criteria, the need now arises to evaluate the alternatives against the criteria one has developed. The aim of this is to see if the alternatives are in tandem with the criteria. One asks here: when evaluated side by side with the criteria, will they stand? When this is done, the alternative that is able to stand the test of the criteria, becomes what one may adopt.
The next step is taking a decision. The decision-making process is a follow up to the evaluation of alternatives with the criteria.
So many decisions remain and die at the decision-making stage due to lack of the methods or steps to adopt in carrying out or execution a decision, it, therefore, become necessary to have an action plan, where one will list in order, the way to go about executing the decision taken. This gives a guide in the execution of a decision.
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