Once you have completed your needs analysis and explored all available options you are ready for third stage of the process – Informed Choice. This section aims to support you making your final decision.
What you are doing is deciding which of the options you have explored best fits your needs and in so doing pulling together all the information you have gathered to this point. As with other parts of this project this section seeks to highlight the need to pause for thought here, along with also hopefully drawing your attention to some tools that you can use to help you.
This stage is about considered decision making; it is important to understand that we will all have different preferences in how we think about and make decisions and with that there is no one size fits all solution,it is a question of working out what works best for you. Some of you will prefer thinking outloud,talking it all through or bouncing ideas off of people you trust. Others will prefer a more internal dialogue and thought process, while for some, a combination of both may work.
You may already have your preferred way of assessing and weighing up information. If, on the other hand, you would like to sample some other options we have some examples of simple decision making tools that might help, along with some infographics you might find helpful – please see below for these.
As with other parts of this project, this section does not seek to provide an exhaustive list, simply signpost some options that may help or at least provide a starting point. What is critical in this process is that you feel you find a solution that works for you. – We actively encourage you to also look elsewhere and share with us any methods, tools, frameworks that you find or invent that work for you.
Decision Making
If you would like to find out more about decision making, please see our infographics. One explains how basic decision making works and the other outlines some simple advice on making a difficult decision.
BASIC DECISION MAKING - HOW IT WORKS
Decision Making Tools and Frameworks
If you would like to find out more about simple decision making tools and frameworks please read on.
Pro’s and Con’s
One of the most common decision making tools and something you undoubtedly have already used, however informally. A pro’s and con’s list normally looks to critically appraise a single decision or option, though multiple pro’s and con’s lists could work to compare across multiple options. We have produced examples of 3 types of pro’s and con’s lists
SCORED PRO'S AND CON'S LIST (WITH POINTS OF INTEREST)
Numberline
Whereas the pro’s and con’s method allows you to appraise a single option, this tool allows you to compare multiple options across your set individual needs at the same time, each need having it’s own score and weighting across each considered option. This tool works well for those who like to think/work visually, and once finished you get a picture of how each option fares against each other across your identified needs. In the case of a close call, the tool also allows you to use a more advanced method to compare options – we have included a worked example that explains how to use the tool, and a blank template you can fill in yourself.
Excel Decision Making Framework
Like the numberline, this tool enables comparison over different options across your identified individual needs. Each need is attributed a score and weighting and the spreadsheet will then calculate totals for you – the worksheet contains both a worked example (first sheet), that explains how to use the tool, and a blank template (second sheet) you can fill in yourself.
