Do you ever end up caught between a rock and laborious place, unable to resolve what the most effective plan of action is?
I’ve. Whether or not it’s what desk to place in our new conservatory area (and I’ll let you know what we ended up deciding later), or who to ask to conferences, or managing to order everybody else’s meals after which getting so overwhelmed with having made choices all day for all of the those that I couldn’t select something for myself.
I left the café with nothing for me and ended up with a few slices of peanut butter toast at residence.
Making choices could be troublesome for even essentially the most skilled mission managers. However earlier than making any determination, it’s necessary to know the distinction between drawback fixing and determination making.
Able to get into it?
Downside fixing includes diagnosing points that come up throughout initiatives whereas determination making requires taking applicable steps based mostly on these diagnoses. Whereas they might seem comparable at first look, there are key variations in how every course of needs to be approached – understanding these variations will show you how to make extra knowledgeable choices!
Let’s discover each processes in addition to their similarities and variations.
What’s drawback fixing?
You’ve been fixing issues because you have been a child: find out how to get up, find out how to get your socks off, find out how to get your mother and father to deliver you your favourite sippy cup.
As an grownup, we clear up issues daily at work and at residence.
So it most likely sounds a bit odd to need to outline drawback fixing earlier than we go any additional. Absolutely everyone knows what we’re speaking about as we do it on a regular basis?
Humor me. Downside fixing is the method of figuring out and analyzing an issue, producing potential options, and selecting the right answer to deal with the difficulty. It includes breaking down advanced issues into smaller elements after which discovering methods to unravel them.
The issue fixing course of
In case you assume that description sounds linear, you then’d be proper. Downside fixing suits neatly right into a course of, one which we don’t even know we’re following more often than not.
The issue fixing course of usually consists of 4 steps:
- Establish the issue
- Generate potential options
- Consider every choice
- Choose an applicable plan of action.
That does make it sound straightforward. Depraved issues want a barely totally different strategy (PMI has a problem solving training course that’s sensible and can assist with that).
However for now, let’s persist with a high-level strategy that works for many issues.
1. Establish the issue
First, it’s necessary to know what induced the difficulty with a view to decide how finest to resolve it.
You’d be stunned at what number of managers don’t trouble to seek out the basis reason behind the issue to really perceive it. Use methods just like the 5 Whys or an Ishikawa diagram to dig down into what the issue really is.
2. Generate potential options
Brainstorming is one option to provide you with totally different concepts for potential options. You might additionally interview specialists, evaluation classes realized or progressive options from earlier initiatives, analysis what the remainder of your business is doing or seek the advice of clients on what they’d prefer to see. There are not any foolish concepts at this level!
Select the inventive strategy that will get you a spread of choices to evaluation.
Learn subsequent: How to improve problem solving with lessons learned.
3. Consider every choice
After you have a number of choices to think about, you may consider every one based mostly on its effectiveness and price earlier than deciding which one is best suited on your scenario.
Use pairwise prioritisation, multi-criteria determination making or analytical hierarchy course of (AHP) to assist with the analysis.

4. Choose an applicable plan of action
Now you’ve bought all of the choices for fixing your drawback, you may really clear up it by selecting a plan of action that can kind it out. That is the place determination making is available in. on this step you make the choice.
Lastly, implement your chosen answer and monitor its progress over time in order that any obligatory changes could be made as wanted.
Advantages of drawback fixing abilities
There are numerous advantages related to having efficient drawback fixing abilities.
These embody improved determination making skills (extra on that in a minute), elevated creativity, higher communication abilities, larger confidence when confronted with difficult conditions, enhanced capacity to assume critically, extra environment friendly use of assets, improved relationships between colleagues or staff members resulting from shared understanding of targets and elevated productiveness ranges resulting from fewer errors being made throughout initiatives or duties.
(Breathe. That was a protracted sentence, sorry.)
All these benefits make drawback fixing a useful ability in each private life {and professional} life situations.
What’s determination making?
Mainly, determination making is the method of choosing a plan of action from quite a few options. It includes gathering data, weighing choices, and selecting the most suitable choice for reaching a desired consequence.
However how is that totally different to drawback fixing?
Choice making is the method of doing Step 4 of the issue fixing course of. It’s the selection making, choice choice, conclusion of the evaluation and considering.
It’s decisive (duh), purposeful, particular. It removes the anomaly of the ‘what can we do?’ and helps the staff transfer in the direction of the ‘OK, how can we try this?’
It brings motion to a scenario.
The choice making course of
There’s a easy technique for determination making too, though the precise determination itself is perhaps robust to make.
- Establish {that a} determination is required
- Guarantee you have got the info to make the choice
- Make the choice
- Inform whoever must implement the choice
1. Establish {that a} determination is required
The choice-making course of usually begins with figuring out what determination must be made. Are you making the correct determination, or is there one thing else, deeper, totally different that’s actually what’s required?
On this step you additionally need to determine who’s making the choice. That may very well be your mission sponsor, a panel, you by your self, a committee or whoever. Getting this step clear saves complications later.
2. Guarantee you have got the info to make the choice
Do you have got all the information it’s good to make the choice? If not, get it.
When choices are made shortly however thoughtfully, they will save time and assets whereas nonetheless producing high quality outcomes.
Main choices want extra time spent on this step to be sure you perceive all of the variables.

3. Make the choice
After contemplating all potential options, it’s time to select based mostly on what is going to yield the most effective outcomes for everybody concerned.
That is the laborious half: make the choice! The particular person or folks chargeable for this could weigh up the info and use their skilled judgement to decide on the correct plan of action. Choice timber could be helpful right here to keep away from unconscious bias (or acutely aware bias!).
Clearly that is more durable for advanced choices. What vendor to decide on for a 3-year outsourcing association is more durable to resolve than what venue to ebook for a staff away day.
4. Inform whoever must implement the choice
Nice – you’ve made the decision and know what to do, however does the remainder of the staff? Don’t maintain the choice to your self!
Be sure whoever must know the subsequent steps is conscious that the choice has been made to allow them to implement it and take the correct motion.
Having confidence in choices results in larger belief between staff members and higher collaboration total, which may result in improved mission outcomes over time. Properly-made choices typically create alternatives for development inside groups by permitting them to be taught from their errors in addition to their successes alongside the way in which.
Similarities between drawback fixing and determination making
Downside fixing and determination making sound very comparable, proper?
Properly, that’s true. Each processes contain gathering data, analyzing it, and developing with options or programs of motion. They each require vital considering abilities to determine potential options or choices which can be most definitely to achieve success.
The processes use the same circulation
Each processes contain figuring out an issue or difficulty, researching potential options, evaluating these options based mostly on standards comparable to cost-effectiveness or feasibility, deciding on an choice from among the many accessible selections, implementing the chosen answer, and also you’d additionally need to monitor its effectiveness over time.
The method could be iterative if obligatory; if one answer doesn’t work out as anticipated then one other could have to be tried till a passable consequence is achieved.
They each produce a passable answer
Downside fixing and determination making often result in some form of motion being taken with a view to tackle a given difficulty or scenario. Downside fixing typically includes discovering inventive options for advanced issues, whereas determination making usually entails deciding on a plan of action from a number of prospects after fastidiously evaluating every choice’s benefits and drawbacks.
However in the end, the purpose is for one thing constructive (or at the least impartial) to come back out of the useful course of in order that no matter problem was initially introduced could be successfully addressed.
Regardless of being so comparable you could possibly just about interchange them in some circumstances, there are some variations.
Variations between drawback fixing and determination making
Though they’ve similarities by way of the method used to provide you with an answer, their targets differ considerably.
Course of targets are totally different
The purpose of drawback fixing is to discover a answer to an present difficulty. It includes figuring out the reason for an issue after which discovering methods to deal with it. Downside fixing typically requires enter from a number of stakeholders who can present totally different views on how finest to unravel the difficulty at hand.
However, decision making focuses on selecting the most suitable choice from a number of options. This might embody deciding on between competing services or products or deciding which technique will probably be only for reaching sure targets.
In different phrases: determination making doesn’t essentially imply there’s a drawback. We make choices daily about small issues and massive issues, however they aren’t all issues that want the inventive step of solutioning.
Typically a call simply must be taken and the choices are clearly recognized.
They require totally different stakeholders
One other key distinction between drawback fixing and determination making is that whereas drawback fixing usually requires enter from a number of stakeholders, determination making is often carried out by one particular person or group who has entry to all related data wanted for the decision-making course of.
To provide you an instance. Let’s say on a technical mission the event staff hit an issue. They’ve to herald numerous subject material specialists to analysis and determine the parameters concerned. They seek the advice of, brainstorm and debate. It’s a gaggle effort, and it’s prone to finish in an answer.
Nevertheless, if I would like my mission sponsor to decide on between two threat remedies, I’ll take him my advice and a abstract of choices and he’ll merely select. Completed.
Selections are made based mostly on what is thought a few scenario quite than counting on exterior opinions or recommendation when making an attempt to make an knowledgeable alternative about what plan of action needs to be taken subsequent.
They produce totally different outcomes
The character of each processes additionally differs by way of the kinds of options they produce. Downside fixing usually leads to inventive options that may be carried out over time, whereas determination making produces instant selections from amongst present options with out essentially creating one thing new or distinctive.
The TL;DR
Each processes contain the identification of an issue or difficulty, the gathering of knowledge to judge potential options, and an evaluation of potential outcomes. The principle distinction between them is of their targets: drawback fixing seeks to determine the basis reason behind a problem and develop an answer that can tackle it; determination making focuses on deciding on from amongst accessible choices.
Each processes require cautious consideration of information and opinions earlier than any motion is taken. Downside fixing typically includes extra folks than determination making because it requires collaboration to determine underlying causes and brainstorm potential options. Choice makers could seek the advice of with others for enter however in the end make choices independently based mostly on their very own judgment.

Nonetheless bought a query?
What’s the distinction between determination and determination making?
A call is the act of creating a alternative between two or extra options. Choice making is the method by which choices are made. It includes gathering data, analyzing knowledge, evaluating options and selecting a plan of action based mostly on this evaluation. The result of the method is the choice. The choice-making course of additionally consists of monitoring progress to make sure that targets are being met and taking corrective motion if wanted.
What’s the significance of problem-solving and determination making?
Downside-solving and determination making are important abilities for mission managers and managers on the whole. The processes maintain work transferring by ensuring issues get solved and choices get made so staff members usually are not blocked from ending their duties.
What are the steps in problem-solving and determination making?
Downside-solving and determination making contain a collection of steps that may assist guarantee the absolute best consequence. Step one is to determine the issue or alternative, then analyze it by gathering related data and evaluating potential options. After contemplating all choices, choose an applicable answer and develop an motion plan for implementation. Lastly, monitor progress to make sure success and make obligatory changes alongside the way in which. By following these steps, mission managers can successfully handle initiatives whereas minimizing dangers and maximizing outcomes.
Earlier than you go…
Typically there isn’t a proper determination – it’s merely necessary to decide. As for the desk, in the long run, we used a chunk of furnishings we already had upstairs and didn’t purchase one in any respect.
I spent a morning measuring and researching choices, and I’ll by no means get that point again, however that’s OK.
As a pacesetter, try to be expert at fixing issues and making choices, and the processes that help them. Nevertheless, you don’t need to be doing all of the fixing and making all of the calls your self. So long as you facilitate the method and get the correct folks within the room, you may step again and let the specialists do their factor.
Let the correct folks do the work and create an setting the place your initiatives transfer ahead as a result of everybody’s bought what they should maintain issues transferring.