Common Pitfalls in Decision-Making and a Proven Framework to Overcome Them

Have you seen a project stall because of endless debate or a team go in circles trying to make a single decision?

In this article, we will discuss common pitfalls in decision-making and suggest a framework to make better decisions. Remember that a framework is needed only for hard decisions. If the decision is straightforward, ignore the frameworks.

Pitfalls to avoid

No matter what framework we use, we need to be aware of these common pitfalls:

1. Seeking assurance over finding the truth
2. A disengaged decider or having no clear decider
3. Listening only to the loudest voice or the highest-paid person
4. Extremely slow decision-making due to cumbersome processes
5. People who disagree with the decision do not commit to it
6. Failing to communicate decisions after they are made

Let’s look at the framework to avoid the above pitfalls and make better decisions faster.

Step 1: Frame the Decision

Most decisions go wrong because of the weaknesses in framing the problem or the decision to make. Remember that most of the time, framing the problem is not done by the decider but by someone else. Make sure the decision to be made, the reason why the decision needs to be made, and how urgent it is are clearly defined.

Step 2: Define Roles

Clearly define who should do what. One easy way of doing this is to create an RACI matrix.

Responsible: The person who should make the decision (decider)

Accountable: The person who should take the accountability if the decision goes wrong

Consult: The people whose opinions should be heard by the decider

Inform: The people who should be aware of the decision and the process

Before having the meeting/workshop to decide, share the above information with everyone who should be involved.

Step 3: Prepare Data

Depending on the decision at hand, the type of data that we need to collect and prepare would differ. For example, let’s take a less complex product improvement decision. Here, one set of data could be different types of improvement proposals and how they are rated against each other based on the customer value and the effort to deliver them.

Or it could be a much more complex decision like stopping a project in which we have already invested one million dollars that requires more data points to inform the decision.

Step 4: Hear Everyone

Let everyone give their opinion to the decider and it is important that everyone feels heard. In a group setting, it is common that people usually get influenced by the opinion of the loudest or the highest-paid person in the room. As a decider, be conscious of it. As a facilitator, try to avoid these biases by introducing silent and private voting methods where the decider would not initially know who voted for what.

Once the decision is made, everyone should commit to it even if they disagree with it. Conflicts arise after a decision is made if people have not felt heard in the decision-making process. Pay extra attention to listening to avoid this adverse outcome.

Step 5: Make the Call

Everyone is listened to, different opinions are considered, and the data to support different alternatives are analysed.

We know from experience that deciding by committee rarely works. That’s why we appointed a single decider. Now is the time for the decider to decide. As the decider, make sure to explain the thinking process behind the decision to the participants.

Step 6: Communicate the Decision

Make sure to communicate the decision, who made the decision, the rationale behind the decision and the impact of the decision to the stakeholders. Communicate it to everyone involved in the process and the people who should be informed according to your RACI matrix.

Remember, every hard decision is a chance to grow your team’s trust, commitment, and momentum. Make it count!

Next time you are faced with a hard decision, put this framework into practice and see if it helps. Let me know how it went in the comments.