Decision methods · 2/6

Create options beyond yes or no

Develop genuinely different actions and include the status quo.

About 15–20 minutes. The following cases are fictional.

Record your first judgment

A team argues about replacing its task tool now. It overlooks a one-project pilot, repairing the current workflow and waiting for a quieter period.

My initial judgment, confidence and reasons

Understand the judgment process

A binary frame hides options. Consider continuing, repairing, replacing, piloting and staging. Renaming the same action does not create an alternative.

The status quo has costs, such as repeated entry. Waiting preserves flexibility and may reveal information, but delays benefits. Compare options over a common horizon.

Make each option executable: name an owner, resources, dependencies and an exit. Mark unknown prerequisites. Hybrid options have coordination costs; they are not automatically superior.

Checks you can perform

Include the status quo, a full action and a smaller version.
Connect each to the goal.
Check ownership, resources and dependencies.
Remove duplicates while preserving meaningful trade-offs.

Guided practice

Give three tool-migration options and a cost for each.

My analysis and checking plan

Explore the explanation

Keep the tool and simplify entry: limited features remain. Pilot one project: dual-workflow coordination and exit criteria. Migrate everything: training, data checks and rollback time. Subscription price is not the entire cost.

Apply it in a new context

You are choosing between a long public-speaking course and giving up. What else could you do?

My independent response

Compare after attempting

Try a short session, weekly recorded feedback with a peer, or a low-risk meeting presentation. Compare feedback, sustained effort and actual practice.

Preserve a revision record

What changed your judgment? What still supports it? When will you review?

Stop expanding when further options add no meaningful trade-off and viable choices exist.

Check whether you supplied inspectable evidence, a feasible next step and revision conditions. Revealing an answer is not mastery.

Source and scope

Herbert A. Simon — Rational Decision-Making in Business Organizations (1978)

The source provides conceptual or methodological background. Cases, steps and exercises are authored here; they are not the original experiment or evidence of this course’s effectiveness.

I have completed this section; uncheck to undo

Completion is a personal record, not proof of mastery or certification.