Engineering Management

Table of Contents
Introcuction ..................................................................................................................................... ii
Decision making steps ................................................................................................................ ii
Identify Your Goal ...................................................................................................................... ii
Gather Information for Weighing Your Options ........................................................................ ii
Consider the Consequences ....................................................................................................... iii
Make Your Decision .................................................................................................................. iii
Evaluate Your Decision ............................................................................................................. iii
Evaluate alternatives .................................................................................................................. iv
Select a preferred alternative ..................................................................................................... iv
Act on the decision..................................................................................................................... iv
Common Challenges of Decision Making ...................................................................................... v

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Engineering Management

Decision making process

Introcuction
Decisions that seem to be the most difficult are those that require a deeper level of thought.
Examples of difficult decisions consist of things like where to attend college, what career path
would be best, and/or whether or not to marry and start a family. These types of decisions are
difficult because they are life changing decisions; they shape who we are, and they shape our
future.
Making good decisions is a method that must be learned. It is not something with which we are
innately born, but merely a step by step process that is usually ascertained from life experience.
Most adults know that experience can be a costly, ineffective teacher that teaches more bad
habits than good; and because decisions can vary so obviously from one situation to the next, the
experience gained from making one important decision is often times of little or no use when
another decision-making problem arises.

Decision making steps

 Identify your goal
 Gather information for weighing your options
 Consider consequences
 Make your decision
 Evaluate Your Decision
 Evaluate alternatives
 Select a preferred alternative
 Act on the decision

Identify Your Goal

One of the most effective decision making strategies is to keep an eye on your goal. This simply
means identifying the purpose of your decision by asking yourself what exactly is the problem
that needs to be solved? And why does this problem need to be solved?
Figuring out what's most important to you will help you make good decisions. When you know
the reason why you have making a particular decision; it will better serve you in staying with it,
and defending it.

Gather Information for Weighing Your Options

When making good decisions it is best to gather necessary information that is directly related to
the problem. Doing this will help you to better understand what needs to be done in solving the
problem, and will also help to generate ideas for a possible solution.

When gathering information it is best to make a list of every possible alternative; even ones that
may initially sound silly or seem unrealistic. Always seek the opinions of people that you trust or
speak to experts and professionals, because it will help you to come up with a variety of

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solutions when weighing all your options for a final decision. You will want to gather as many
resources as possible in order to make the best decision.

Consider the Consequences

This step can be just as important as step one because it will help you determine how your final
decision will impact yourself, and/or others involved. In this step, you will be asking yourself
what is likely to be the results of your decision. How will it affect you now? And how will it
affect your future?
This is an essential step because it allows you to review the pros and cons of the different options
that you listed in the previous step. It is also important because you want to feel comfortable with
all your options and the possible outcome of whichever one you choose.

Make Your Decision

Now that you have identified your goal, gathered all necessary information, and weighed the
consequences, it is time to make a choice and actually execute your final decision.
Understanding that this step can cause some people a lot of anxiety is important because this is
where you have to trust your instincts.
Although you may still be slightly indecisive about your final decision, you have to take into
account how this makes you feel. Ask yourself, does it feel right? And does this decision work
best for you now, and in the future? When you answer those questions back, you should feel
good about the result.

Evaluate Your Decision

Once you have made your final decision and put it into action, it is necessary to evaluate the
decision and the steps you have taken to ensure that it works. This final step is probably just as
important as step one, if not more important, because it will help you to further develop your
decision making skills for future problems. This step is also fundamental because it may require
you to seek out new information and make some changes along the way.
Remember, this step requires some patience and it can also encourage perseverance. Why?
Because it may take some time to see the final outcome. Recognizing that if the first decision is
not working, you may have to go back to step two and choose another option.

Misidentifying The Problem

Many times the problem will be obvious; but there may come a time when identifying the main
problem is not that easy. When this issue arises, figuring out exactly what it is, and where you
need to focus your efforts will save you a lot of time and energy in the long run.

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Having a Single Source

When considering the consequences, you must be open to a broad choice of alternatives in order
to find the best solution. This can become a problem if you rely solely on a single source of
information because that one source may not b reliable, or may not be completely inline with the
problem; thus altering your chances of making the best decision.
Having Too Many Sources
Having a variety of sources is usually not a bad thing; but not in every situation. Collecting as
much information as possible can be very helpful at arriving to a decision, but an overload of
information can leave you confused and misguided, and prevents you from following your
intuition. Remember, trusting your gut instincts is a major key to making good decisions.
Overestimating the Outcome
When making a decision and putting your plan into action you should have taken care to weigh
all your valid options. Making a decision based upon an outcome that may not be plausible will
not help you solve the problem.
Poor Timing
Time can be a futile friend. Sometimes it is good, and sometimes it is not. When making major
decisions, it beneficial to take your time in order to make the best choice from your options. But
understanding the timing process is crucial because sometimes it is best to delay a decision, and
other times delaying a response can cause more problems. There are also times when making a
quick decision is advantageous because it allows you more time to make necessary changes
should problems arise.

Evaluate alternatives
 What criteria should you use to evaluate?
 Evaluate for feasibility, acceptability and desirability.
 Which alternative will best achieve your objectives?

Select a preferred alternative

 Explore the provisional preferred alternative for future possible adverse consequences.
 What problems might it create?
 What are the risks of making this decision?

Act on the decision

 Put a plan in place to implement the decision.
 Have you allocated resources to implement?
 Is the decision accepted and supported by colleagues?
 Are they committed to making the decision work?

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Common Challenges of Decision Making

 Having too much or not enough information
 Misidentifying the problem
 Overconfidence in the outcome
Having too much or not enough information
Gathering relevant information is key when approaching the decision making process, but it’s
important to identify how much background information is truly required. “An overload of
information can leave you confused and misguided, and prevents you from following your
intuition,” according to Corporate Wellness Magazine.
Misidentifying the problem
In many cases, the issues surrounding your decision will be obvious. However, there will be
times when the decision is complex and you aren’t sure where the main issue lies. Conduct
thorough research and speak with internal experts who experience the problem firsthand in order
to mitigate this. It will save you time and resources in the long run, Corporate Wellness
Magazine says.
Overconfidence in the outcome
Even if you follow the steps of the decision making process, there is still a chance that the
outcome won’t be exactly what you had in mind. That’s why it’s so important to identify a valid
option that is plausible and achievable. Being overconfident in an unlikely outcome can lead to
adverse results.

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References
 https://online.csp.edu/blog/business/decision-making-process
 https://www.umassd.edu/media/umassdartmouth/fycm/decision_making_process.
 https://the-happy-manager.com/tips/steps-in-decision-making/
 https://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/5-steps-to-good-decision-making

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