The decision-making process is a series of steps taken by an individual to determine the best course of action to meet their needs and to set specific actions in motion.
The decision making process is important because, it happens daily and at all levels. It is also important because it requires you to think critically about the situation, and consider possible courses of action before choosing one .For every decision that is made, there is a consequence whether positive or negative.
Decision making affects every facet of human life, whether in business, career or personal life. There are many decision making examples in daily life such as: deciding what to wear, deciding what to eat for lunch, choosing which book to read or choosing what business to invest in.
Using a step-by -step decision-making process can help you make more deliberate and thoughtful decisions.
Find below some steps to an effective decision-making process:
Step 1: The context must be understood. The context can be explained as any factor that has the potential to shift the choice outcomes by altering the process by which the decision is made.
Step 2: Define the problem. The problem that needs to be solved needs to be defined and not the symptoms of the problem. It is important to understand the issue before you start thinking about potential solutions and decisions. Having the problems clearly defined, makes it easier to make decisions later on in the process.
Step 3: Define the objective. This is expected to the be the flip of the problem. The objective seeks to correct the problems that have been identified in stage 2 of the process. If the decision is to be taken by a team, it is important to ensure that every member of the team is aligned with what the objective should be.
Step 4: Determine the criteria for the decision. The decision criteria are the principles, values , variables, rules and conditions that an individual, organization or team uses to select an option or make a decision. The criteria act as a guide in selecting a course of action among several others.
Step 5: Generate different alternatives possible to meet the objectives. It is important not to shut down any alternative until it has been analyzed and ruled out.
Step 6: Analyze each alternative using the developed criteria. This is the assessment of the various options present for reaching a goal. This is done by reviewing the various options available while keeping an eye on the criteria set in step 4 of the decision making process.
Step 7: Make a decision. This is the selection of a course of action among alternatives. The analysis done in step 6 will act as a guide in the selection of a course of action.
Step 8: Create an action plan. Once a decision has been made, an action plan must be created on how to execute the decision that has been made. This includes setting out all the tasks that need to be done to achieve the decision that was made.
