Making A Decision

Approach

Core of a Project Proposal

• What is the question to be answered? (3. Problem Statement)

• What are the end products delivered by the product? (4. Methodology)

• What are the company experts needed for? (4. Approach Activities)

• When must who be available and for what? (4. Approach Timeline)

often requires changes after first discussion

do not mind to iterate and change a previous step

1. Assignment

• description of problem the company faces

• not necessarily well-structured & consistent
  • especially with input from multiple stakeholders

• be systematic in approach

• be action-oriented

• assume a critical perspective

+ A clear understanding prevents you from being drawn into irrelevant topics

+ Allows you to align with your commissioner & share understanding of work

2. Understanding the Field

• Articles What have others written about topic (vendors, academia, …)

• Case Studies Documented Case Studies of approaches from companies

• Success Reports Reports on what vendors have achieved in other companies

• Annual Reports information about company & competitors

3. Problem Statement

• summary of what question will be answered in the end

• clarify for commissioner, company experts & team what is happening

1. Questions to be answered
   • question focuses the analysis
   • avoid “boiling the ocean” (doing an impossible task)
   • assure actionable results
   • should include a solution
   • the more precise, the better (unless too narrow)

2. Underlying Problems
   • describe the as-is situation and causes / effects

3. Solution Constraints & Scope
   • set limits to possible solutions
   • sometimes relaxed during course of project

4. Decision Makers
   • describe managers who decide about implementation

5. Decisions Criteria
   • provide foundation on which the decision is made
   • what are the important aspects you decide on

6. Company Context & Situation
   • describe key aspects of company strategy and culture

4. Methodology & Approach

Methodology

• overview of the whole approach without timeline
  • what do we need for what?

Approach

5. Information Gathering

information and data contributing to end products & interim products

6. Systematic Factual Analysis

• every finding (statement) supported by facts

• conflicts between facts & findings have been resolved

7. Synthesis and Option Definition

• what have we found out / what is the real problem?

• what do we still not know?

• what could the company do / what are solution options?
  • also what needs to happen after choosing the option

• ensure you have a complete solution space (including “do nothing”)
  • exclude options that do not meet requirements

8. Systematic Evaluation

• evaluation of all options against the same set of criteria

• choice should be obvious

• Harvey Balls

9. Presentation

• action-oriented presentation

• solution and rationale (tailored to audience)

10. Good Decision

• well researched

• factually evaluated

• well-fitting

• actionable solution for company

• broadly supported in the company
  • especially staff affected