Decision Management

Managing decisions starts with the recognition that our decisions impact the success of our activities in a fundamental way AND that we can formalize and improve decision making. It proceeds by formalizing the steps in making decisions, visualizing the network of decisions we must make (consciously or by default) and executing activities in service of our decisions. These formalized methods enable the development of Decision Patterns to capture process knowledge, encourage teamwork and continuous improvement.

While the fundamentals of decision management are embodied in the processes for planning, analyzing and protecting decisions, the Decision Driven® Approach expands the impact of formal decision processes by extending the idea of sequencing decisions at a product/process level to a broader level to address strategies across products and processes over time.

Strategy is a high value application of human thinking with decision making at its core. The primary knowledge components of a strategy are decisions and requirements, directly addressed by SDM. A strategy can act as a boundary to keep the course during turbulence or an on-ramp to new technologies and opportunities. It can help in understanding which situation is being faced.

With decisions patterns in place, decisions can be revisited as goals and technologies change, accelerating solutions. With decisions linked to timelines and desired outcomes, plans can evolve and the impacts of changes can be managed. Critical paths can be determined and risks exposed early.

Some additional information about SDM can be found here.