Decision Making LT 4.4

Introduction

  • Speaker: Anastasia Zaitnik

  • Role: Head of Delivery Management Center of Excellence at BMO

  • Responsibilities: Educate managers, support recruitment, manage rotations.

  • Experience: 14 years in project and program management.

Workshop Overview

  • Focus on decision-making in project management

  • Topics included:

    • Making decisions quickly

    • Choosing between bad and worse options

    • Making decisions with limited information

  • Approach: Blended learning with practical exercises and team collaboration.

Ground Rules

  • Raise hands to speak

  • Cameras on to foster engagement

  • Encourage participation in discussions and exercises

Decision-Making Strategies

1. Making Decisions Quickly

  • Pareto Principle: Focus on the 20% of tasks that yield 80% of results.

  • Importance of prioritization in high-pressure situations to avoid mistakes.

  • Emphasis on collaboration and communication within teams.

2. Practical Case Study - UI/UX Issues

  • Example scenario: Client complaints about UI/UX issues including page loading, payment failures, and mobile version errors.

  • Prioritization Exercise: Use of Pareto Principle to address UI/UX complaints.

    • Priority 1: Slow page loading (affects user experience)

    • Priority 2: Interface bugs and unstable connections

    • Priority 3: Payment failures

    • Priority 4: Mobile version issues

  • Discussion on the impact of prioritization on overall user satisfaction.

3. Pros and Cons Analysis for Quick Decisions

  • Use a list to weigh pros and cons of options available.

    • Consideration of risks and blockers in decision-making processes.

  • Group exercise to analyze low-performing team members versus hiring new talent.

    • Focus on maintaining client relationships and efficiency in the decision.

4. Managing Scope Creep

  • Approach to client-requested changes during ongoing projects.

  • Emphasis on maintaining communication with the Delivery Manager and managing client expectations.

  • Importance of not compromising the project timeline by accepting new tasks without evaluation.

5. SWOT Analysis and Decision Trees

  • Techniques to evaluate options:

    • SWOT Analysis: Assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats of decisions.

    • Decision Trees: Visualize potential outcomes of different strategic choices.

  • Application of these tools during complicated decision-making scenarios.

Reverse Brainstorming

  • Technique to approach unclear situations by envisioning how to worsen the problem, then reversing to find solutions.

  • Example case: Client delivering untested features during release preparation.

  • Emphasis on sticking to protocols such as code reviews, testing, and quality assurance.

Conclusion

  • Anastasia's closing remarks about the importance of ongoing learning and development.

  • Invitation for participants to reach out for mentorship or support in managerial challenges.

  • Encouragement to apply learned skills for professional growth.