Job-Related Decision Making Process

Job-Related Decision Making Process

Everyday, individuals are faced with opportunities, and with opportunities we are faced with decisions. Large or small, decisions have the potential to make lasting changes on our lives. For example, the decisions that we make in response to a marriage proposal or a job offer could change the course of our lives forever. To assist one in the decision-making process, tools and techniques have been developed. One such technique, the Plan, Do, Check and Act process, or PCDA, developed by Dr. Walter D. Shewhart (DeJanasz, Dowd & Schneider, 2001) can assist us in the decision making process. The PCDA process will be examined in this paper, and be applied to a job-related decision that I recently made.

The decision that I recently faced was whether or not to accept a temporary Program Analyst position within the organization that I am currently employed. It was a wonderful growth opportunity; however, my time is already fully obligated between my career, school and family. Accepting the position meant re-prioritizing, shifting and altogether juggling my already full schedule. In this paper, I will track the progress of my decision using the PCDA process, including with my final decision.

According to Shewhart, the most important step in the PCDA process is the plan, (2001). This is the stage where one defines the problem, collects and analyzes the data, generates and evaluates alternatives and creates a plan of action. As you can see, this is a very intensive process, and careful consideration must be taken at each step.

As I stated, my decision was whether or not to accept a temporary Program Analyst position that I had been offered within my company. This was an excellent growth opportunity; however, the demands on my time would be extensive. This is the initial definition of the problem. What I needed to determine was exactly how much time would be required, and whether or not the benefits of accepting the position would outweigh the potential added stress to my current position, and whether it would affect my schoolwork or home life. I began asking detailed questions about the position to my Section Manager in order to collect data. How many hours a day would the duties require? Would there be travel involved? When would the project end? What new software would I be required to learn? I wanted to make sure that I didn't underestimate the demands of the task and therefore, set myself up for failure. According to the Vigilant Decision-Making Process, "problems occur when you underestimate the demands of the task" which is not something that I wanted to have happen.

The next step in the planning process was to analyze the data and evaluate possible alternatives. My section manager indicated that the Program Analyst duties would require no more than two hours out of each work day. It would mean working later each day, but I would be home in time to prepare dinner each night for my family. He also assured me that no travel would be required. That was a relief. Fall was approaching rapidly, and bringing with it a new elementary school year. He also informed me that the project has a delivery date of 30 September- only a few short weeks a way. As for software, I will have the opportunity to learn Microsoft Project, which I have no previous knowledge of. All in all, this is shaping up to be a very feasible task. However, I had to consider the alternatives. I could chose to pass up the opportunity altogether. Yes, it is a growth opportunity- but that is why I am in school on the road to obtaining my Bachelor's degree. The alternative wasn't all that persuasive. Therefore, we move on to the next stage of the plan, the plan of action.

If I were to accept the position, some shifting of professional and personal obligations would need to take place.