How to: Make Timely Decisions

What does this look like?

A manager who makes timely decisions:

• doesn’t put decisions off unnecessarily
• can make decisions with incomplete information
• can make decisions under pressure and in tight timeframes.

How can I do this?

1.    Learn to make decisions with incomplete data

In an ideal world, you’d have access to all the data you need to be fully confident about every decision you make. In reality, this is rarely possible. Managers regularly need to make decisions with incomplete data. This can be especially challenging for perfectionists. If you’re tempted to delay decisions so you can gather more information, try to:

• consciously make some decisions with less data than you’re normally comfortable with. Choose a few small, low-risk decisions to start with.
• trust your experience and intuition more.

2.    Start early

If you’ve been assigned a job that requires a decision, make sure it’s a timely decision.

• Don’t procrastinate—start thinking about your decision straight away. If you engage with the decision as soon as it’s assigned to you, you’ll get an idea of what you need to do to before you can make the decision.
• Allow time—always leave more time than you think it’s going to take to make the decision.
• Set checkpoints—set a deadline for collecting and analysing data as quickly as you can. Allow enough time to use that data and analysis to inform your decision. Set an internal deadline for the final decision one week before it’s due.

3.    Break decisions down

• Sometimes you can divide big decisions into a series of smaller decisions. Schedule time to work on each smaller decision spaced over the delivery period.
• Get feedback on small decisions and make corrections if you have to or gather more data if you need it.

4.    Be organised and disciplined

• Set priorities—focus on mission-critical decisions. Don’t get distracted by trivial work and decisions.
• Keep a decision log—when you know you have to make a decision, put it in the log with a due date.
• Plan—work back from due dates to identify what you need to do when in order to make the decision on time.

5.    Learn from mistakes

• Your decisions don’t need to be perfect 100% of the time. It’s enough that they can be reasonably justified given the circumstances.
• Some mistakes are inevitable. Learn to accept that they’re part of the job. We often don’t fully understand how best to solve problems until the second or third attempt.
• Focus on what you can learn from your mistakes to avoid repeating them.

6.    Identify your barriers

• Reflect on what causes you to be cautious and slow in making decisions sometimes.
• Look for common threads. Create a list with two columns:
  • Column A – examples of prompt decisions you’ve made. What do they have in common?
  • Column B – examples of times you hesitated and delayed in making a decision. What’s common about those decisions?

Think about the behaviours and practices you use to make prompt decisions and how you might apply these to decisions you tend to delay.

• Reflect on ways you can address your barriers to making timely decisions.
• Ask two people you respect about the processes they follow when making decisions.
• If you have a difficult decision to make, convene a one-off problem-solving group.

7.    Analyse pros and cons

If you’re finding it hard to make a decision, it can help to:

• write down everything you’re concerned about, then write down a pro for each concern, or con
• take one of your options, develop a rationale for it and ask others to help you think through its pros and cons.

8.    Prepare for difficult conversations

Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions that aren’t popular with stakeholders. Be prepared by:

• adjusting your decision-making style to match the needs of stakeholders
• anticipating likely reactions and how you’ll respond to them. Think about what others might object to and how the decision could affect them.
• indicating to key stakeholders what your decision is likely to be before the decision is due. This gives you time to adjust your thinking if necessary and gives them time to adjust to your decision.
• being ready to listen—people may have good reasons for not liking your decision. Listen carefully to what others say and be willing to revise a decision if need be.
• focusing on two or three key points to justify your decision and politely sticking to those. Try not to bring up everything you can think of. Focus on what’s most important.

9.    Manage the stress of time pressure

It’s normal to feel stressed when you have to make a decision under pressure. But too much anxiety can impair your decision-making. Try:

• reflecting on the source of your anxiety—write down why you feel anxious. Is it fear of making a mistake? The unknown consequences of decisions? Lack of confidence or experience? Exposing the source can help to alleviate anxious feelings.
• taking a break—if you can, take a break and do something else for a while. Come back to the decision when you feel calmer and more in control.

10. Inform people on time

As well as making timely decisions, you should also communicate decisions in a timely manner. Don’t delay in letting relevant people know when a decision’s been made.

You may find this challenging if you…

• are slow to make decisions or to communicate when decisions are made
• tend to be conservative and overly cautious
• often procrastinate and need lots of information to feel confident and avoid risk
• are a perfectionist
• like to be right and don’t like criticism
• can be disorganised and struggle to meet deadlines.

Decision-making can be ineffective when you…

• jump to conclusions and take action without properly considering all the information
• make decisions at the wrong time, that are not needed or are better made by other people
• feel the need to get everyone’s input before making a decision
• make impulsive decisions
• freeze if problems or issues are a ‘close call’
• make decisions quickly to avoid debate and personal discomfort.