USING DECISION TREES

How are you doing creative human resource. Remember last post. Partner with your creator to continue creation. May He empower us all to do our bit.

When I started this blog, I had mentioned that the topics will be varied. from simple to complex and from spiritual to HR. Even though someone said, everything we do has spiritual undertone because we are spiritual beings. A topic for another day. 

Today I want to give you something you can use to develop your ward or staff/team - the creative human resource that works for you. I have made it simple enough for even the not so educated to understand.

Every so often in our lives, we will need to take decisions about situations that confront us either at home or in the office. However, with various options to chose from, one must take not just a decision, but an informed cost effective one. One of the easiest ways to do that is to display all possible options pictorially in what is called a Decision Tree.

Decision Tree

A decision tree (DT) is a pictorial display of the different alternatives/options being considered in solving a problem/handling a situation and the potential outcomes of each alternative. Decision trees can work for both simple problems and complex ones.

A decision tree affords one an effective and easy way to understand the options available in taking a decision and their outcomes.

The decision to be taken is usually written at the far left and two branches signifying the first two options drawn out upwards and downwards.

The first two branches will further give you branches and eventually lead you to not only take an informed decision, but also make you see all the things that can go wrong and prepare for them in making a particular decision. Talk about making you proactive.

To understand, go through this example below.

Example: Economically your organizations’ revenue was very low this year, however, the usual end of year cocktail party normally held in a hotel after year end review will not be cancelled, however planning will be by members of staff, not an event planner as usual and you are saddled with making that possible. You can chose to work alone or put a team together. Whichever one you chose to do, a decision tree can help you there. It will look like this:

The decision to be taken is either to have the party indoors or outdoors, which is always written at the left side of the tree.

You can eventually chose to have it outside under a tent (big canopy). In the event there is rain, you are covered and you will be seen as a good planner. If there is no rain, better still, people have enough space to move around, not crammed up in a small hall.

What is the next big decision you or your company needs to take, to carry everyone along, put pen to paper and eventually drag everyone to see it on the board in the conference room.

Reference:
Havard Business Review: Classic series

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