A1: DECISION DECLARATION*

…when you need to break the logjam of endless discussions that seem never to resolve.

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Discussions swirl endlessly when there is no decision to be made. This causes frustration and wastes resources.

Therefore:

• Identify the decision maker(s) who will be making the final decision.
• Declare a decision or cause a decision to be declared. Just ask "what decision do we need to make?" In other words, stakeholders should be willing to change course based on the decision.

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Once a decision is declared, it is time to begin the decision-making process. The first task in the process is to involve the STAKEHOLDERS who will be affected by or who will be affecting the decision, and together, you should draft a DECISION PROCESS CHARTER to clarify the purpose of the process.