decision-making process

1. Define and clarify the issue - does it warrant action? If so, now? Is the matter urgent,
important or both. See the Pareto Principle.
2. Gather all the facts and understand their causes.
3. Think about or brainstorm possible options and solutions. (See brainstorming process)
4. Consider and compare the 'pros and cons' of each option - consult others if necessary or
useful - and for bigger complex decisions where there are several options, create a template
which enables measurements according to different strategic factors
(see SWOT, PEST, Porter).
5. Select the best option - avoid vagueness and weak compromises in trying to please
everyone.
6. Explain your decision to those involved and affected, and follow up to ensure proper and
effective implementation.

7. What’s wrong with this notion? Plenty. Here are five criteria to consider
when making your next big decision:
8. 1. The purpose of the decision
9. In the military, there was (and still is) a pecking order of priority upon which
decisions are based. The mission always came first, followed by what
would serve the team, and finally, what would serve the individual. The
individual always comes last because he or she was always the
smallest link in the organizational chain. Playing to self-interest serves little
purpose, and that’s not what a team or an organization is about.
10. 2. Wrong is never permanent
11. Well, “never” is a strong word, but you get the idea. I’ve said before

that failure is only determined by where you choose to stop, and it also

depends on how that particular problem is perceived. The higher one
ascends within an organization. For example, the same problem that
appears tricky at one level may not necessarily be the right one to solve for
at another. Seek as many viewpoints as you can to enhance your
understanding of the situation.
12. 3. Timeline to execution 
13. There are internal and external influences that shape the feasibility
of execution along a given timeline. Internal influences refer to the
competency of you and your team to execute the decision in the time
allotted, whereas external influences signify the driving forces that impact
the deadline that you have no control over, such as weather, the
economy or market demand.
14. You want to ask yourself two questions. First, "Is now the right time
todecide?" If the answer is yes, then your next question is, "Am I capable
of executing the decision?" If the answer is no then ask "why?"
15. Related: 4 Ways to Overcome Self-Doubt
16. 4. Known unknowns and unknown unknowns 
17. These are the constraints surrounding the execution of your
decisions.
18. A known unknown is when you realize a specific intangible exists but
can’t quantify how much, such as traffic (if you live in Los Angeles you
know exactly what I’m talking about). For instance, you're aware that rush
hour in LA never really has an end point, so it could take you anwhere from
20 minutes to two hours to travel from A to B. The point is, you know that
uncertainty exists but don't know how much. 
19. Unknown unknowns are when Murphy likes to throw another wrench
in the mix that you simply can’t plan for, such as (continuing with the traffic
example) a vehicle accident or engine breakdown.
20. Try to identify all constraints as best you can so you know how to
align them towards the purpose of your decision.
21. 5. Resource accessibility 
22. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. The result of any effort will
depend in part on the resources used to execute it, so be sure to identify
not only the primary resources available but also secondary ones, too.
Every decision should have a contingency plan for when those unknown
unknowns arise and deem your primary course of action obsolete.
23. Decision-making can paralyze you if you’re not prepared. Tackle
your next major dilemma using the aforementioned considerations and feel
better about the decisions you come to.