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Is Project Decision-making the Missing Process

The PMBOK references decision-making in many places but without helping PMs know how to systematically handle decisions in a process. These slides look at the problem and offer some suggestions. A presentation given to the Mass Bay PMI MetroNorth Roundtable.

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Is Project Decision-making the Missing Process

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  1. Project Decision-making Is “Plan Decision-making” the Missing Process? David Kershaw VP, Cloud Services Altova GmbH

  2. Do teams think about decision-making? “They tell us what to do.” “That guy makes all the decisions.” “We’re not good at decisions…” “Everyone has an equal vote!”

  3. What do they mean? • Those are patterns of decision-making • Often called styles, modes, or models • Every team uses at least one of them • Some are technical. Most are not. They should plan decision-making!

  4. Why do we bother identifying patterns of decision-making? We’re wasting time here!

  5. Because decision-making is complex, expensive & failure-prone! Darn it. Bad decision! For example…

  6. A decision may go through layers of decision-making techniques before it is resolved.

  7. $$ Decision-making always costs a lot of money, regardless of the result. What if…

  8. Decisions fail in many ways: • Error in problem identification • Missed or specious options • Error in analysis • Poor participation • Poor commitment to resolution • Results in team-impairing conflict • Error in implementation $#%@&?!!

  9. Back to decision models… How do I handle this?

  10. Decision models may describe: • Stages of activity • Techniques of analysis • Actors’ involvement • Inputs required • Rules for moving through stages

  11. Effectiveness Participation Commitment Correctness Best alternatives Rational analysis Or Models typically focus most on either: When this is the case the PM needs to integrate both aspects

  12. There are many decision models Intuitively boiled frogs Scientific / academic rigor Unstructured Structured Analytical They range from simple to exacting

  13. So many models, so little time… Simple 3-options style Structured decision-making. 2. Decision-making roles and rights. 2. Overviews of some analytical factors. 2. 3. The Analytical Hierarchy Process. 1. 2. Team decision-making model choices Etc. etc. A few places to start…

  14. Unfortunately for PMs the PMBOK is weak on decision-making • Appendix G. Section 6 addresses decision-making directly. It very briefly lists 4 general decision-making styles based on 4 factors. • The PMBOK also notes in passing that: • Communication planning should include time for decision-making • High performance is encouraged by collaborative decision-making • Anyone in a decision-making role is a stakeholder • Performance reports are used for decision-making • Effective decision-making is a component of Interpersonal Skills, a tool or technique of the Manage Project Team process • Decision-making Authority Levels are an Organizational Process Asset input to Plan Risk Management • Decision Sciences techniques are used in risk management (e.g. decision-trees) and quality control (e.g. control charts)

  15. So, how would you plan decision-making? Decision register Risk register Plan Decision-making Inputs? Outputs? Decision Mgmt. plan RAM Decision log Scope Baseline RAM updated

  16. Catalog similar decisions together • By person responsible & participation • By dates and workflow • By the need for criteria or voting The screenshots are fromMetaTeam

  17. Consider the ranking factors • Time sensitivity • Cost of being wrong • Impact on other decisions • Measurable outcome

  18. Align decisions with work and roles • Decisions need a reason for being • Tie to roles for implementation • Track implementation tasks

  19. Above all, plan to keep full information! • For traceability and implementation • To resolve disputes • To learn and improve Learn more @ http://metateam.net

  20. Thank you! David Kershaw VP, Cloud Services Altova GmbH http://metateam.net

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