Think of all the things you have deliberately practiced over your life. It may have been swimming or riding a bike when you were young, and it was probably sports or a hobby as you got a little older. In any case, think of the number of hours and repetitions you put in to get better and perform at your highest caliber. Then ask yourself, how many times have you practiced decision-making under pressure? Yet that’s what is routinely required of us as adults. 

These were the thoughts that ran through my head when I attended my first college-level decision-making class. I reflected on all the effort I put into improving at things that were otherwise trivial and on how little I had thought about the process of thinking. In that moment of reflection, I decided to put more time and energy into learning and practicing the decision-making process.

Practice makes Perfect.

This article explores ideas behind practicing critical thinking and the decision-making process. It’s important to keep in mind that true mastery comes from years of deliberate practice, experience, and feedback.

The Analysis Phase.

During this initial phase, focus on refining the “problem statement” or “the question.” In other words, narrow the issue down to something manageable; the narrower the scope, the better. In one of my early classes, we used buying a car as our problem. Then begin gathering the information relevant to deciding between car options. In this phase, you’re looking for quality information relevant to the “problem or question.”

The Evaluation Phase.

Focusing on the “so what or is it good enough” aspect of the information is critical to ensuring you’re only focused on information necessary to your problem or question. Here you’re trying to make sure the information you’re assessing is relevant to your question or decision, and that it comes from a reputable source.

Check Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies.

During and after the evaluation phase, it’s critical to take a step back and make sure biases or fallacies haven’t worked themselves into the process.

Facts and Assumptions.

In some situations, quality facts can be hard to come by; in others, there are more facts than needed. In either case, finding the right balance and determining which facts are most essential to making informed opinions and decisions is a critical part of the process. Assumptions aren’t necessary until they are. In some situations, you can only gather so much information, and in the absence of information, you must make some assumptions. It’s those assumptions that are most important because, over time, if they prove to be true or false, they can change your opinion or decision.

Time.

One of the first steps in critical thinking and decision-making is to determine how much time you have before you have to form an opinion or make a decision. More often than not, we take either too much or too little time to form an opinion or make a decision. Identifying how much time you have up front helps ensure you’re meeting your goals.

Risk.

Too often, we over- or underestimate the risks associated with our opinions or decisions. Risks come in many forms, and more often than not, a single opinion or decision can have multiple associated risks. It’s important to correctly identify all associated risks and their degree of risk.

Decision-Making.

When time and information are limited, what do you rely on? Being self-aware of your own experience, judgment, risk tolerance, and values is the beginning of any good decision, followed by a decision process that works for you and your organization. A decision process is critical thinking through a process of evaluating information, assumptions, risks, and alternatives to make better decisions. Whether consciously, deliberately, or quickly, decision-making is a process. The process is often driven by time, risk, the situation itself, our experiences, and our familiarity and comfort level with the different decision-making processes.

Eric’s Decision Loop – The 6 D’s.

This framework works in both structured planning and fast-moving, uncertain situations.

1. Define the Problem. The first step in making any decision is to understand or define the problem. The risk is that if a leader doesn’t pause to truly understand the problem, the leader will make a hasty, ill-informed decision. To use a supply chain problem as an example, if you see an empty shelf at the store, it would be easy to say, “The problem is the empty shelf.” However, if you pause to better define the problem, you’ll find the real problem is somewhere in the supply chain. The empty shelf is only a manifestation of the actual problem.
2. Determine Available Time. Time is a constraint, not a luxury. The longer you take to decide, the less time you leave to act. The US Army often used a one-third-two-thirds rule to frame the decision-making process. Time is planned backward from the moment the effect needs to be felt. Leaders should never take more than one-third of the available time to decide, leaving two-thirds for execution.
3. Discover the Data and Information. This is where most leaders struggle. Too little information leads to guesswork. Too much leads to paralysis. The goal isn’t perfect information; it’s enough to act with confidence.
4. Develop Options. Good leaders don’t look for the perfect option; they look for the best trade-off. Options should be weighed based on the risk a leader is willing to take to achieve the desired results.
5. Decide and Act. A good decision made on time is better than a perfect decision made too late. It’s natural for a leader to second-guess their decision. However, it’s equally important for a leader to keep in mind that they selected the best option given the time and information available.
6. Debrief and Adjust. This is a critical phase in any decision, especially when it’s a unique problem requiring an equally unique solution. For every decision or action, there is a reaction. A good leader establishes tools to monitor the reaction or results of their decision and adjusts as necessary. The reaction must be monitored to ensure the decision is achieving the desired results or effect. Without a monitoring process, there is no way to know whether the decision was effective or to what degree. One way to monitor a decision or action is to create predefined criteria so that, if those conditions are met, leadership is informed. In addition, the information requirements would potentially feed into Decision Points that would also be established to facilitate an if-then reaction.

Reflective Decision-Making.

It means a person should always reflect on the process used to make a decision and on the outcome. Did I use the best process? Was the outcome what I expected? Could I have done anything differently? These questions and their answers help a person refine their decision-making until they master the process.

Accepting Responsibility.

The final step in any good decision-making process is for the decision maker to accept responsibility for the outcome. If you made it, own it. It’s easy to blame someone else or claim circumstances have changed. But the fact remains that you made the decision. The results, good or bad, are yours to accept.

Sounding Board.

Talking to a friend or mentor, preferably someone with more experience than you and who has faced whatever you’re contemplating, can be priceless. I’ve always said that I have good ideas, but they become great ideas when I’ve shared them with others. You can save a lot of time and energy by discussing your thoughts with someone more experienced than you.

Red-Teaming.

Don’t be afraid of finding someone who disagrees or provides a counterargument to whatever you’re considering. We called this a Red Team in the Army. Ideas and decisions get better the more variables and risks we take into consideration.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, please be sure to check out the rest of this series: Decision Science and Critical Thinking and How to Make Better Personal Decisions

Before moving on, feel free to use the checklist below to assess your readiness level.                    

2. Each item below is worth one point. Score yourself honestly; give yourself a point only if you can answer yes with confidence, not just in theory.

   1.0 _____: Have you assessed your decision-making process? Without being self-aware and assessing our own decision-making process, we increase the risk of making a poor decision.

   1.0 _____: Do you acknowledge your biases when making decisions? Our thoughts, feelings, emotions, biases, and past experiences all play a role in shaping how we think and decide things.

   1.0 _____: Do you consider the amount of risk you’re willing to take, and if it’s worth it? Answering this question helps determine the amount of risk you should be willing to take.

   1.0 _____: Do you evaluate the data and information you use to make your decision? Without the right or enough information, it’s hard to make good decisions.

    

3. _____: Assessment Grade

   4 = A · 3 = B · 2 = C · 1 or 0 = D

   Wherever you land, this is your starting point, not your ceiling.

    

   Every decision is a seed; plant it with intention, nurture it with courage, and let time reveal the forest it was meant to become.

    

   Stay Ready, My Friends.

RuReady Resources:

1. Eric’s 6-Ds Decision-Making Field Guide. A streamlined framework from RuReady designed to work in both structured and fast-moving situations.

Amazon Books:

1. The Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP) for Civilian Business Leaders, by Griffin Gorge Associates. This is a clear, practical guide that brilliantly adapts proven military planning strategies to the business world. Griffin Gorge Associates delivers actionable insights that inspire confident, strategic decision-making in any organization.