Weekly Dwell #12

Over the past few weeks, I've been diving into how decisions are made, and what criteria are needed to determine certain decisions to be made. I'm working on developing an entire program plan with many moving pieces, and we're interested in confirming what we currently have as well as expanding the program's overall reach. In the past, most programs appeared to be subjective, either on the part of the staff members or on the part of the funders. In this case, both of those stakeholders will be important aspects, but I'd like to find a way to make decisions without those necessarily getting in the way. At the same time, the staff needs to still be excited about the projects within the program moving forward, and the funder needs to be kept appeased to ensure no major issues with payments and the relationship.

Therefore, we need criteria that takes both of those stakeholders' opinions into account, with an additional set of reasoning that could ultimately outweigh either or both if otherwise have the right combination. But how do you make unbiased decisions, and what is most important to weigh when making decisions for this program? Of course, these criteria must match the ultimate goals of the program, along with goals of those with expertise in the fields within which we are working. Decision making is tricky, and I've been working on a certification by the Project Management Institute to learn more about how I can be more effective in my project-based work. I am leaning more into Agile and Lean practices and philosophies, but providing rubrics for any generalization of projects is tricky. 

What tips do you have for more effective decision making?