1- Identifying the problem or issue requiring a decision

1.1- Defining the decision

Are you facing a decision that is imposed on you or one related to an issue you have identified?
- Rationale
  - A decision related to an issue is one that you bring to the table yourself to solve a problem you have identified.
  - An imposed decision is one that will require a choice regardless of whether you have identified the issue or not.
What is the subject or focus of your decision?
Can you break your decision or problem down into smaller, more manageable decisions or problems?

1.2- Understanding the decision

What is the default course of action in this situation? What will happen if you do not make a decision?
Are there events or circumstances that your decision depends on or is influenced by?

1.3- The time component

What is the deadline for making your decision?
Is the time factor important in your decision?
Would it be better to wait until the last moment to make your decision?

1.4- The rationale behind the decision

Why do you need to make a decision in this situation?
Why do you want to make this particular decision?

2- Goals, values, and criteria

2.1- Goals

Are you the one making this decision?
- If so, what do you aim to achieve by making this decision?
- Are these goals aligned with your values and ultimate goals?
How does this decision relate to your overall goals? Which of your ultimate goals are most likely to be impacted by the decision, positively or negatively?
How does the decision impact your general goals? Sort the impacts into positive and negative categories. Assign a score to each of your general goals affected by the decision.
Which of your general goals is most closely related to this decision?

2.2- Values

Which of your values could play a role in this decision?

2.3- People

Are there other people who will be impacted by this decision? Who are they? Why will they be impacted?
What do the people who will be impacted by the decision want?
Can those people influence this decision? In what way?

2.4- Criteria

What criteria do you want to use to assess your decision?
Are the criteria in line with your general criteria for decision making? [[117-Your General Criteria]]
Is aligning with your values an important criterion for this decision?
Is aligning with other people's goals an important criterion for this decision? Whose opinion should you weigh more heavily?
What weight do you attribute to each criterion?

3- Importance of your decision

3.1 Importance

How crucial is this decision?
What potential effects could this decision have?

3.2 Impact

What is at risk with this decision?
How is this decision likely to affect your life?
What values of yours may be impacted by this decision?
On a scale of 0 to 10, how significant do you believe this decision to be?
What consequences will this decision have on others?

3.3 Time allocation

How much time do you plan to spend making this decision?

4 Reframing the question

Based on your goal and the impact of the decision, are you confident that you are addressing the correct problem? Does this decision reflect a different, underlying issue or decision?
Should you rephrase the question?

5 Options

What are the different choices you have to make with this decision?
- Choice 1:
- Choice 2:
- ...
How do these choices combine? What different courses of action or options do these combinations create?
- Option 1:
- Option 2:
- Option 3:
- Option 4:
- Option 5:
- Option 6:
- Option 7:
- Option 8:
Is your decision a choice between two options?
How many options do you have?
Are all of your options feasible? Assign them a feasibility score. How confident are you in each score you assigned?
- Option 1:
- Option 2:
- Option 3:
- Option 4:
- Option 5:
- Option 6:
- Option 7:
- Option 8:
Does the chosen option require effective implementation to be successful?
Are you fully in control of the outcome implied by the chosen option?
What is not under your control in the realization of the option?

6- Analysing the options

6.1- Feasibility

Which of your options are the most feasible? Why?
How do the feasibility scores of your options compare to each other?
What are the constraints that limit the feasibility of your options?

6.2- Risk and uncertainty

What are the potential risks and uncertainties associated with each of your options?
How can you mitigate or manage these risks and uncertainties?
How do the risks and uncertainties associated with each option compare to each other?

6.3- Return on investment

What are the potential returns on investment associated with each of your options?
How do the returns on investment of your options compare to each other?
What is the expected value of each of your options?

6.4- Compatibility with existing systems

How do your options align with your existing systems, processes, and infrastructure?
What changes or adaptations would be required to implement each of your options?
How do the compatibility of your options with existing systems compare to each other?

6.5- Impact on employees

How would each of your options impact your employees?
What are the potential consequences of each option on employee morale, satisfaction, and productivity?
How do the impacts on employees of your options compare to each other?

6.6- Impact on stakeholders

How would each of your options impact your stakeholders, such as customers, partners, suppliers, and shareholders?
What are the potential consequences of each option on stakeholder relationships, loyalty, and trust?
How do the impacts on stakeholders of your options compare to each other?

6.7- Short-term and long-term effects

What are the potential short-term and long-term effects of each of your options?
How do the short-term and long-term effects of your options compare to each other?
What are the potential consequences of each option on the sustainability and growth of your business?

6.8- Alternatives

Are there any alternative options that you have not considered?
How do these alternative options compare to your existing options in terms of feasibility, risk, return on investment, compatibility, impact on employees, impact on stakeholders, short-term and long-term effects?
How do these alternative options align with your goals, values, and criteria?

7- Selecting the option

[[AOT-1-Option Analysis]]

Based on your analysis, which of your options is the best choice?

8- Implementing the option

[[AOT-2-Best Plan]]

8.1- Plan

What is your plan to implement the selected option?
What are the key steps and milestones of your plan?
What resources, such as time, money, and personnel, do you need to implement your plan?
What challenges and obstacles do you expect to encounter during the implementation of your plan?
How will you monitor and evaluate the progress and success of your plan?

8.2- Execution

How will you communicate your decision and plan to implement it to relevant parties, such as employees, stakeholders, and customers?
How will you mobilize and engage your employees, stakeholders, and customers to support and participate in the implementation of your plan?
How will you manage and address any risks, uncertainties, or challenges that arise during the implementation of your plan?
How will you adjust and adapt your plan based on feedback, data, and insights from the implementation process?

8.3- Evaluation

What are the success metrics and criteria that you will use to evaluate the outcome of your plan?
How will you collect and analyze data and feedback to measure the success of your plan?
How will you learn from the results of your plan, and what adjustments and improvements will you make based on this learning?

9- Reflecting on the decision

What did you learn from the decision making and implementation process?
What worked well, and what could have been improved?
What insights and lessons can you apply to future decisions?

10- Exploring States

See [[AOT-15-Forecasting]]