Timely, informed, and responsible decision-making

Timely, informed, and responsible decision-making

Author: Builder. com

A Japanese warrior said this, probably about the content: "It takes no more time to make decisions than to breathe seven times ." You may think that using this proverb in your project management work will be a good way to avoid disasters, but it shows three decisive aspects of your work:

It is important to know when to make decisions.
It is also important to select a suitable term for decision-making.
It is also necessary to assume the responsibility for decision-making.

We have all conducted projects, and the managers of these projects deny the necessity of decision-making. We all admit that we have made decisions that are too irrational or too hasty and ineffective. These mistakes often come from fear of failure or fear of making "wrong decisions.

Now let's focus on these so-called wrong decisions. Although our project manager will be proud of our ability to anticipate problems, there is actually no one of us with a crystal ball capable of predicting the future of project management. We can accurately predict the future, so what we can do is to make good use of the existing information. However, there are still some wrong methods that will lead to wrong decisions, including hasty choices or dead-end inspiration.

The lessons learned are profound. Recently, a decision made by myself in a state of anxiety has put me into a lot of trouble. I should stand taller and look at the entire process from a further perspective. I am faced with the option of choosing one of the two solutions for creating web interfaces for enterprise Intranets of important customers. I gave myself a week to make a decision. When one of my senior developers put pressure on me, I did not hesitate. Instead, I chose the second solution in a rush without carefully balancing the problem. After the decision, I considered all negative situations and made a new decision. (I usually never make such a decision on Friday afternoon, because the coming weekend will bring a kind of relaxation, so that my mind cannot be in a normal state .) As a result, I spent several weeks to make up for the consequences of the hasty decision-making.

Good decisions create good projects

So what can motivate people to make good decisions (and the resulting good projects? The answer is a well-planned decision. However, you are in the dilemma of how long it takes to make decisions. What we don't need most is the new formal method for decision-making-nothing can be done. This is why I suggest several useful guidelines for decision making:

Consider the importance of decision-making. To determine the importance of a decision, you must ask yourself: what are the consequences of this decision on the project and yourself. In reality, how urgent is this decision? (It is important to note that there is a difference between importance and urgency .)
Ask yourself if you have more options. In other words, if you want to make a choice among the three, you can ask yourself if there is any fourth choice.
Listen to your customer's ideas. Have you ever understood the customer's ideas when making decisions? You should understand. Although they may not like your final decision, they have to deal with your decision.
Acknowledge the fact that you are making irrational decisions. We often make decisions easily. These decisions are derived from past experiences, data analysis, inner feelings, fear, personal likes and dislikes, and peer pressure. I am not saying that you do not need to consider self-protection, your team's point of view, or your previous project experiences and conclusions, but you should be aware of the following: each new situation requires a clear point of view and a new decision; otherwise, the same error will occur.
Remember: even small decisions can have serious consequences. Do not underestimate the possibility that seemingly insignificant choices in the decision-making process will lead to significant consequences.
The long-standing "human-to-machine"
A somewhat annoying trend related to decision making is emerging in other IT fields. Now, management is becoming more dependent on smart business tools. These tools are trying to answer an important question: "Why are our biggest customers not buying X products ?"

I am very worried about this trend, because there is a risk of expecting machines to make difficult decisions for us. For example, the analysis tools we use make the coming decisions seem obvious. What you need to know is that if no one really creates artificial intelligence, you have to be responsible for the project. As more and more project management decision support tools are available, be careful before accepting recommendations from machines.

Finally, the most important thing to remember is the loyalty, Justice, and respect reflected in the Japanese samurai swordsmanship: set an appropriate deadline when decisions require you, make your decisions and take responsibility for the results.

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