We’ve talked about ways you can make a decision you can live with (3 WAYS TO MAKE A DECISION YOU CAN LIVE WITH) and then selling your stakeholders on that not-quite-perfect solution (SELLING STAKEHOLDERS ON A LESS-THAN-IDEAL SOLUTION), but sometimes even a seemingly ideal choice can come back to bite you. Below are 4 warning flags that a potential solution could cause big problems later.
1 – Your decision will lead to the need for additional resources—time, staffing, money—that your organization is unlikely to support. Even if everything else looks good, this is a clear warning sign that your entire project could end up failing. Unless you truly have no other options, don’t do it.
2 – You have time to negotiate better terms for your preferred solution, but you want to make a decision now. Perhaps the opposite of suffering from analysis paralysis, some project professionals like to get decisions over with as quickly as possible. But any time you’re weighing an important decision, you’ll probably come out ahead by taking the time you have available to investigate additional details and options.
3 – No one else on your team agrees you’re making the right decision. Sometimes we’re blinded by preconceived notions or even our own personal fears and ambitions. If your peers in the Project Team have strong objections to your choice, sit down with them and find out where their concerns are rooted. You may discover your preferred solution is missing something significant, or that your team’s estimation of its available resources is different from yours.
4 – A stakeholder has asked you to select a course of action without weighing the pros and cons. Your project’s champions aren’t immune from making errors, but their ability to influence your decision could leave you holding the bag. Let them know you’re considering their suggestions but that you need to evaluate all your options before choosing a solution.
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