The decision making process occurs daily throughout a person’s life without much forethought. Major decisions need a much more methodical approach to ensure that a problem or issue is addressed critically to achieve the best results while minimizing risk. To ensure that all aspects of the decision making process are addressed, the six stages of decision should be used which are identifying and diagnosing the problem, generating alternative solutions, evaluating alternatives, making the choice, implementing the decision, and evaluating the decision (Bateman, 2011). When all of these steps are applied correctly, the chances of obtaining favorable results are greatly increased.
One such major decision that I had to personally address a year and a half ago was making a decision to enroll back in school to pursue my degree. Making the decision to enroll into a university created a few problems which were resolved using a process, that in hind sight followed the six stage decision making process.
The largest problem that I had to resolve was establishing the time I would need to attend class, complete homework, work full time, and make time for my son.
I had to think of many types of solutions and alternatives for each of these time constraints to ensure none of them were neglected. Some examples of the decisions I had to make was not taking a job advancement that would require more time at work, giving up personal sport activities, and the repercussion for not attending school at all.
When I committed to enrolling in school, I had to implement a schedule change at work, establish who could help me take care of my son if an emergency occurred, and give up my personal activities.
Evaluating the decision is still an ongoing process today, but it is required to make sure that each of the problems identified are still be addressed and nothing is overlooked. Making sure that I balance work, my family, and ensuring I have adequate