Agile decision making @ Agile & Lean Illes Balears

1. Agile Decision Making
2018-02-06
Marcos Pacheco

4. “Organizations are Decision-making factories”

5. How do you make decisions?

6. We often decide by “thin slicing”, which is good but bad
“Thin-Slicing is a term used to mean taking quick decisions on the basis of limited information. For example when you
walk into a shop to buy a dress, or you meet a person the first time, or see the initial scene of a film, it takes your mind
about two seconds to form a judgment or arrive at a number of conclusions. ”

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Our decision-making process is sometimes “corrupted”

9. “Thin-Slicing is a term used to mean taking quick decisions on the basis of limited information. For example when you
walk into a shop to buy a dress, or you meet a person the first time, or see the initial scene of a film, it takes your mind
about two seconds to form a judgment or arrive at a number of conclusions. ”

10. Decisions-in-progress (DIP) are like work-in-progress

11. Low DIP means high flow (throughput)

12. High DIP leads to low flow of decisions, bottlenecks.

13. High DIP leads to bottlenecks and compounding delays

14. Unplanned work & decisions kill flow & eat up capacity
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15. Unplanned work & decisions kill flow & eat up capacity
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16. Unplanned work & decisions kill flow & eat up capacity
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21. Steady flow of decisions improves stability and predictability

24. Quality of decisions: logical or emotional?

25. Agile Decision Making

26. How?
Define DONE for decisions
Best Possible Decision Qualified Input
Distributed (Advice
Process)
Experts
Common Mental
Model

27. Define DONE
Made
Internalized
Socialized
Communicated
Tools / Training
Mentoring
Coaching
Support
Enforced

28. Best Possible Decision
Time-Boxed Failure tolerant Best Possible
Information
Cost Of Delay Cost Of Recovery

29. Qualified Input
Opinion (feel) Invested (think) Expert (know)

30. • Someone notices a problem or opportunity and takes the initiative, or alerts someone better placed to do so.
• Prior to a proposal, the decision-maker may seek input(Qualified Input) to sound out perspectives before proposing
action.
• The initiator makes a proposal and seeks advice from those affected or those with expertise.
• Taking this advice into account, the decision-maker decides on an action and informs those who have given advice.
Distributed (Advice Process)

31. Experts
Do not make
decisions for
others
Are available
Train
Mentor
Coach
Support
Measured by
quality of
decision
made by
others
without input

32. Common Mental Model
Deeper than “why”
The “model” behind
Vision / Mission /
Strategy / Goals
Mental models are conceptual frameworks consisting of
generalizations and assumptions from which we
understand the world and take action in it. - Peter Senge

37. “Thin-Slicing is a term used to mean taking quick decisions on the basis of limited information. For example when you
walk into a shop to buy a dress, or you meet a person the first time, or see the initial scene of a film, it takes your mind
about two seconds to form a judgment or arrive at a number of conclusions. ”