Decision Process
The ultimate goal of a decision process is to solve a decision problem, that is, to make a decision. In Decision Analysis, the decision process is understood as a process of careful and in-depth analysis of the decision problem. It involves a systematic acquisition and organization of knowledge about the decision problem, which is done by participants of the decision process and typically includes:
assessing the problem,
collecting and verifying information,
identifying options (alternatives),
anticipating consequences of decisions,
making the choice using sound and logical judgment based on available information,
justification and informing others of the decision and its rationale,
evaluating decisions and their consequences.
In general, such a process should:
provide all the information needed for a ‘sufficiently good’ decision,
reduce the chance of overlooking important information and making other errors,
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the decision-making, and
improve the quality of the decision itself.
Usually, the decision process involves at least the following steps:
Modeling: developing a decision model
Evaluation and analysis of options
Choice: making the decision
Implementation of the decision
The decision-support tool DEXi is primarily used in the steps 2 and 3.