Decision Making Accuracy

There are several aspects to decision making accuracy. It starts with a clear definition of the problem. It includes the methodology you use to decide between your alternatives. Finally it is the implementing of your decision.

The Steps To Accurate Decisions

The steps to making decisions are given in more detail at Decision Making Model In Five Steps. Each step will be examined to see how it affects decision making accuracy

Define The Problem - This step can have an enormous effect on the decisions accuracy. You must have a clear idea of the problem to be solved or the decision to be made. If you don't, your decision will be wrong because you answered the wrong question.

Identify Alternatives - Have you identified all of the alternatives? If not, you may be leaving out the alternative that is the best and most accurate choice or decision.

Evaluate The Alternatives - Are you using the best methodology for the alternatives being evaluated? Is the criteria you are using, the best for making this decision? It may well be worth your time to use more than one methodology in order to ensure that you are making the correct assessment.

Make A Decision - After your evaluation, you may find multiple high rated alternatives that are very close. Very close could very well mean that they are equally viable. Now is the time to reexamine the inputs to your decision making models. Are the inputs accurate? Was your evaluation methodology correctly done? If so, then you must make a subjective choice between your best, but equal, alternatives.

Implement Your Decision - When it is time for implementation, you must clearly have in mind what the problem is and what your decision is. It is easy, in the heat of battle, to forget what you are trying to accomplish. Don't modify your decision on the fly! If circumstances have changed, then go back through the steps to get a new decision.

Summary

Decision making accuracy is the result when you carefully implement each step in the decision making process. Accurate decisions are good decisions.