Decision Process
================

The ultimate goal of a *decision process* is to solve a :doc:`decision
problem <DEXiGlosDProb>`, that is, to make a decision. In
:doc:`Decision Analysis <DEXiGlosDAnal>`, 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 :doc:`participants of
the decision process <DEXiGlosPart>` 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:

#. :doc:`Problem identification <DEXiGlosProbIdent>`
#. Modeling: developing a :doc:`decision model <DEXiGlosDMod>`
#. :doc:`Evaluation <DEXiGlosEval>` and :doc:`analysis <DEXiGlosAnal>`
   of :doc:`options <DEXiGlosOpt>`
#. Choice: making the decision
#. Implementation of the decision

The decision-support tool :doc:`DEXi <DEXi>` is primarily used in the
steps 2 and 3.

.. toctree::
  :hidden:
  
  DEXiGlosPart
  DEXiGlosProbIdent