Decision-Making Skills: Student Workbook
Course Overview
This workbook accompanies the Decision-Making Skills seminar and provides space for reflection, practice, and planning. Complete the exercises during the course and use the templates after the course to apply what you've learned to your actual decisions.
Module 1: Decision-Making Fundamentals
Reflection: Your Decision-Making Experience
What types of decisions do you currently make in your role?
Strategic decisions I make:
Tactical decisions I make:
Operational decisions I make:
Which type causes you the most uncertainty or concern?
Decision Quality Assessment
Think of a significant decision you made in the past year. Rate it on each quality factor:
| Quality Factor | Rating (1-5) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Timely - made at right moment | ☐☐☐☐☐ | |
| Informed - based on good data | ☐☐☐☐☐ | |
| Inclusive - right people involved | ☐☐☐☐☐ | |
| Aligned - consistent with values | ☐☐☐☐☐ | |
| Implementable - realistic to execute | ☐☐☐☐☐ |
Overall quality rating: ___/25
What one quality factor could have been improved?
Module 2: Decision-Making Frameworks
The Rational Decision-Making Model in Practice
Decision to analyze: _____________________________________________
Step 1: Define the Problem
What exactly needs to be decided?
What are the desired outcomes?
Step 2: Set Decision Criteria
What matters in this decision? (list 5-7 factors)
Weight by importance: Which three factors matter most?
Step 3: Generate Alternatives
List at least three different approaches:
- Option A: _______________________________________________________
- Option B: _______________________________________________________
- Option C: _______________________________________________________
Step 4: Analyze Each Alternative
| Option A | Option B | Option C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meets Criterion #1 | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Meets Criterion #2 | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Meets Criterion #3 | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Timeline feasible | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Resource available | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Analysis summary:
Step 5: Choose Best Alternative
Which option best satisfies your criteria?
Why this option over others?
Step 6: Implementation Plan
What specific actions are needed?
Who needs to do what by when?
Step 7: Evaluation Plan
How will you know if this decision succeeded?
When will you review results?
Six Thinking Hats Exercise
Decision to analyze: _____________________________________________
White Hat (Facts)
What do we know for certain?
What information are we missing?
Red Hat (Emotions)
What do people feel about this decision?
What concerns or fears might exist?
Black Hat (Critical)
What could go wrong?
What are the weaknesses in this approach?
Yellow Hat (Optimistic)
What are the benefits?
What's the best possible outcome?
Green Hat (Creative)
What alternatives haven't we considered?
What if we approached this completely differently?
Blue Hat (Control)
What have we learned through this analysis?
What's our conclusion?
Module 3: Managing Uncertainty and Risk
Scenario Planning Template
Key Decision: _____________________________________________________
Identify Uncertainties (What could change unpredictably?)
Scenario A: [High uncertainty 1, Low uncertainty 2]
In this future:
Actions we'd take:
Scenario B: [Low uncertainty 1, High uncertainty 2]
In this future:
Actions we'd take:
Scenario C: [High uncertainty 1, High uncertainty 2]
In this future:
Actions we'd take:
Robust Strategies
What approaches work in multiple scenarios?
Cognitive Bias Awareness
In your typical decision-making, which biases might affect you?
Check all that apply:
- ☐ Confirmation Bias (seeking info that confirms your view)
- ☐ Availability Bias (judging probability by memorable examples)
- ☐ Anchoring Bias (overly influenced by first number/suggestion)
- ☐ Overconfidence Bias (thinking you're more accurate than you are)
- ☐ Groupthink (avoiding conflict, prioritizing consensus)
- ☐ Sunk Cost Fallacy (continuing due to past investments)
For your top three biases, how might you counteract them?
Bias #1: _________________
Counteraction: _______________________________________________________
Bias #2: _________________
Counteraction: _______________________________________________________
Bias #3: _________________
Counteraction: _______________________________________________________
Module 4: Stakeholder Engagement and Implementation
Stakeholder Mapping
Decision: _____________________________________________________________
Stakeholder Analysis:
| Stakeholder | Impact on Decision | Power to Influence | Engagement Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inform/Consult/Collaborate | |||
| Inform/Consult/Collaborate | |||
| Inform/Consult/Collaborate | |||
| Inform/Consult/Collaborate |
For high-impact, high-power stakeholders, how will you ensure their input?
Decision Communication Plan
The Decision:
Why This Decision? (The rationale people need to understand)
Key Concerns People Might Have:
How You'll Address These Concerns:
Implementation Expectations:
What must people do to make this decision work?
Module 5: Learning and Continuous Improvement
Post-Decision Review Template
(Complete 3-6 months after major decisions)
Decision Made: _____________________________________________________
Date Decision Was Made: ____________ Today's Date: ____________
Expected Outcomes:
- What did we expect would happen?
Actual Outcomes:
- What actually happened?
Comparison:
- Where was reality different from expectations?
Root Causes:
- Why did those differences occur?
Process Reflection:
- What did we do well in making this decision?
- What could we have done better?
Key Learnings:
- What will we do differently next time?
Action Planning
Personal Commitment
Decision I will use these frameworks on:
When I will apply them:
Framework I will start with:
☐ Rational Decision-Making Model
☐ Six Thinking Hats
☐ Scenario Planning
☐ Stakeholder Mapping
Support I need to be successful:
One way I'll measure my improved decision-making:
Key Takeaways
In my own words, the most important things I learned in this seminar:
Resources
One-Page Decision-Making Frameworks Guide - [Will be provided]
Post-Decision Review Template - [Available after course]
Further Reading:
- "Decisive" by Chip and Dan Heath
- "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
- "Good Strategy Bad Strategy" by Richard Rumelt