Once solutions to your problem have been generated, they must be evaluated and then the best ones implemented.

In this session, we will look at the second phase of the problem-solving model: making a decision.

Selecting Criteria

Once you have generated solutions, it is time to sort them out and make those decisions. As we mentioned at the beginning of the course, the decision we have to make is sometimes obvious through the problem-definition and solution-generation phases. Other times we have to weigh out the solutions and decide what the best decision is for right now. Here are some additional considerations to think about as you select solutions.

Deciding on Wants/Needs

Despite the work we put into defining a problem, and the effort it will take to implement decisions, sometimes the final debate is close when all factors are considered.
Consider these scenarios:

• With all other things being equal (such as vacations, seniority, and responsibility level), would you decide to leave your job right now and take on a new one for a five per cent increase in pay?
• Would you move to a new cubicle because there was 15 per cent more sunlight?
• Would you use premium gasoline in the company vehicles if it cost five per cent more in fuel, but saved five per cent in maintenance costs?

Deciding what you need as opposed to what you want is an essential decision, especially if you are in a position to only get what you need.

The Cost-Benefit Analysis

This is something that can be a driving factor in your decision. If you are making a business decision, it can also be the grounds for creating a business case to implement your decision.

A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) simply weighs the cost of your decision in a way that is clear and easy for a reader to understand. Your integrity can rest on the completeness of your CBA. People sometimes leave elements out of a CBA in order to create a more favorable impression and to deliberately bias a reader. Usually, when readers find the missing pieces, the credibility of the CBA is lost – along with your chance for change.