I'd like to share with you an interesting note which I've written during my studies. I think can be useful for having a chance to plan your objective and making decisions in order to live with less stress our life everyday.

1. What is Decision Making?
In its simplest sense: 'Decision Making is the act of choosing between two or more courses of action'.
However, it must always be remembered that there may not always be a 'correct' decision among the
available choices. There may have been a better choice that had not been considered, or the right
information may not have been available at the time. Because of this, it is important to keep a record of
all important decisions and the reasons why these decisions were made, so that improvements can be
made in the future.
Stages of Decision Making
Many different techniques of decision making have been developed, ranging from simple rules of
thumb, to extremely complex procedures. The method used depends on the nature of the decision to
be made and how complex it is.
The method described on this page follows a seven stages:
1. Listing all possible solutions/options.
2. Setting a time scale and deciding who is responsible for the decision.
3. Information gathering.
4. Weighing up the risks involved.
5. Deciding on values, or in other words what is important.
6. Weighing up the pros and cons of each course of action.
7. Making the decision.
1. Listing Possible Solutions/Options
In order to come up with a list of all the possible solutions and/or options available it is usually appropriate to work on a group (or individual) problem-solving
process. This process, could include brainstorming or some other 'idea generating' process (see our page: Problem Solving for more information).
This stage is important to the overall decision making processes as a decision will be made from a selection of fixed choices. Always remember to consider
the possibility of not making a decision or doing nothing and be aware that both options are actually potential solutions in themselves.
2. Setting a Time Scale and Deciding Who is Responsible for the Decision
In deciding how much time to make available for the decision making process, it helps to consider the following:
 How much time is available to spend on this decision?
 Is there a deadline for making a decision and what are the consequences of missing this deadline?
 Is there an advantage in making a quick decision?
 How important is it to make a decision? How important is it that the decision is right?
 Will spending more time improve the quality of the decision?
Also see our page: Time Management.
Responsibility For The Decision
Before making a decision, it needs to be clear who is going to take responsibility for the decision. Remember that it is not always those making the
decision who have to assume responsibility for it. Is it an individual, a group or an organisation? This is a key question because the degree to which
responsibility for a decision is shared can greatly influence how much risk people are willing to take.
If the decision making is for work then it is helpful to consider the structure of the organisation that you are in. Is the individual responsible for the decisions
he or she makes or does the organisation hold ultimate responsibility? Who has to carry out the course of action decided? Who will it affect if something
goes wrong? Are you willing to take responsibility for a mistake?
Finally, you need to know who can actually make the decision? When helping a friend, colleague or client to reach a decision, in most circumstances
the final decision and responsibility will be taken by them. Whenever possible, and if it is not obvious, it is better to make a formal decision as to who is
responsible for a decision. This idea of responsibility also highlights the need to keep a record of how any decision was made, what information it was

2. based on and who was involved. Enough information needs to be kept to justify that decision in the future so that, if something does go wrong, it is possible
to show that your decision was reasonable in the circumstance and given the knowledge you held at the time.
3. Information Gathering
Before starting on the process of making a decision, all relevant information needs to be gathered.
If there is inadequate or out-dated information then it is more likely that a wrong decision might be made. Also, if there is a lot of irrelevant information then
the decision will be difficult to make, it will be easier to become distracted by unnecessary factors.
There is a need for up-to-date, accurate information on which to make decisions. Such information needs to be gathered so that a well-informed
decision can be made. The amount of time spent on information gathering has to be weighed against how much you are willing to risk making the wrong
decision. In a group situation, such as at work, it may be appropriate for different people to research different aspects of the information required. For
example different people might be allocated to concentrate their research on costs, facilities, availability, and so on.
4. Weighing up the Risks Involved
One key question is how much risk should be taken in making the decision? Generally, the amount of risk an individual is
willing to take depends on:
 The seriousness of the consequences of taking the wrong decision.
 The benefits of making the right decision.
 Not only how bad the worst outcome might be, but also how likely that outcome is to happen.
It is also useful to consider what the risk of the worst possible outcome occurring might be, and to decide if the risk is acceptable. The choice can be
between going 'all out for success' or taking a safe decision.
5. Deciding on Values
Everybody has their own unique set of values - what they believe to be important.
Many people decide to buy a car for themselves but different people buy different cars based on their own personal values. One person might feel that
price is the most important feature, whereas another person might be more concerned with its speed and performance. Others might value safety, luggage
space or the cars impact on the environment or a combination of these features.
Depending on which values are considered important, different opinions may seem more or less attractive. If the responsibility for a decision is shared it is
possible that one person might not have the same values as the others. In such cases, it is important to obtain a consensus as to which values are to be
given the most weight. It is important that the values on which a decision is made are understood because they will have a strong influence on the final
choice.
People do not make decisions based on just one of their values. They will consider all their values which are relevant to the decision and prioritise them in
order of importance. If you were to buy a car, what would be the five most important factors to you?
6. Weighing up the Pros and Cons
It is possible to evaluate the pros and cons of each possible solution/option by considering the possible advantages and
disadvantages.
One aid to evaluating any solution/option is to use a 'balance sheet', weighing up the pros and cons (benefits and costs) associated with that solution. For
example, a small business that regularly hires vehicles from an external company might consider buying a vehicle for their exclusive use.
Using the question: "Should we buy a vehicle?" - the business could list the pros and cons of the purchase in the following way:
Pros Cons
Saving on hire charges Cost of purchase
Would make it easier to organise staff travel Potential driver(s) could require training
Will always be available Insurance and maintenance costs
Having listed the pros and cons, it may be possible to immediately decide whether the option of buying a vehicle is viable.
However, it may be useful to rate each of the pros and cons on a simple 1 to 10 scale (with 10 high - most important to 1 low - least important):

3. Pros Cons
Saving on hire charges 9 Cost of purchase 6
Would make it easier to organize staff travel 7 Potential drivers could require training 4
Will always be available 6 Insurance and maintenance costs 8
Total 22 Total 18
In this case the cons (disadvantages) have the lower score while the pros (benefits) are higher and purchase of a car is therefore a strong possible choice.
In scoring each of the pros and cons it helps to take into account how important each item on the list is in meeting values. For example, if the most
important value was the potential saving, then the fact that a particular car has high insurance and maintenance costs will increase its score on the con
side.
This balance sheet approach allows both the information to be taken into account as well as the values, and presents them in a clear and straight forward
manner.
7. Making the Decision
There are many techniques that can be used to help in reaching a decision. The pros and cons method
(as above) is just one way of evaluating each of the possible solutions/options available.
There are other techniques which allow for more direct comparisons between possible solutions. These are more
complicated and generally involve a certain amount of calculation. These can be particularly helpful when it is necessary to
weigh up a number of conflicting values and options.
For example, how would you decide between a cheap to buy but expensive to run car and another more expensive car, that is more economical to keep on
the road?
Intuitive Judgements: In addition to making reasoned decisions using the techniques shown above, in many cases people use an intuitive approach to
decision making. When making a decision many influences, which have not been considered, may play a part. For example, prejudice or wishful thinking
might affect judgement. Reliance is often placed on past experience without consideration of past mistakes. Making a decision using intuition alone should
be an option and not done merely because it is the easy way out, or other methods are more difficult.
Intuition is a perfectly acceptable means of making a decision, although it is generally more appropriate when the decision is of a simple nature or needs to
be made quickly. More complicated decisions tend to require a more formal, structured approach. It is important to be wary of impulsive reactions to a
situation and remember to keep a record of the decision for future reference, no matter whether the decision was made intuitively or after taking a reasoned
approach.
If possible, it is best to allow time to reflect on a decision once it has been reached. It is preferable to sleep on it before
announcing it to others. Once a decision is made public, it is very difficult to change.
Summary
I can share with you two tables that you need to fill in everytime. One is regarding PRO and CONS about a decision and another is regarding the LIFE
results about decision you’ve made. Please, use it everytime and everywhere you need it. Use a pencil and print them several times for using more and
more times.