‭Running header: DECISIONS 1‬

‭Decisions: The Ultimate Failure of Projects‬

‭Isabella Jemabey‬

‭Arizona State University‬

‭PMG 321-unit 2‬

‭January 18, 2023‬

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‭ ctions have consequences. I learned this very young and have lived by it. People would always‬
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‭say things like, “wear a coat; it is cold outside,” and “Do not touch the stove; it is hot.” I would‬
‭go out and not wear a coat and freeze the entire time. There was a time I did touch the stove to‬
‭call their bluff and burned my hand. My being cold and burning my hand are the consequences‬
‭of my actions. In the context of project management, decisions are described as “the action or‬
‭momentum that enables project managers to move their projects toward success” (Powell &‬
‭Buede, 2008, p. 2). I also think these decisions can be looked at as cause and effect. Decisions‬
‭are what control someone's life. Every day, life and projects start with decisions.‬
‭Decision-making is the ultimate factor of projects. This is because of its importance, effects, and‬
‭factors contributing to decision-making.‬

‭ ecisions are what pave the path to the future. This is a hefty burden to carry. It reminds me of‬
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‭the butterfly effect, one small choice can change your life, and one poor decision can affect you‬
‭years later. In the world of project management, it is a terrifying realization. You have a team of‬
‭people depending on you to make the correct choice; if you do not, it can be catastrophic. This‬
‭position will take lots of trust that the right decision will be made. Being the leader, you will‬
‭always have to consider your team when making decisions that will affect your team. These‬
‭decisions are also what help build the world around us. Throughout the chapter reading, I‬
‭thought to myself, “how many failed projects do I pass on the way to work.” Understanding the‬
‭importance of decisions can help the success of a project. In simulation A, I made many poor‬
‭decisions. One of these decisions is focusing on budget rather than time. My consequence was‬
‭falling very far behind schedule and receiving a poor score. From this, I learned that time is more‬
‭important than budget regarding this project. There is not one decision where you do not gain‬
‭something. From all decisions, you gain either success or a lesson. A real-life example of poor‬
‭decision-making is when K-Mart went out of business. The online shopping market was‬
‭growing, but K-Mart focused more on customer service than convenience, which was its ultimate‬
‭downfall. The importance of the decisions does not come from the decision itself. It comes from‬
‭the benefits we gain or the consequences we receive.‬

‭ ecisions can be difficult at times, even stressful. There is an endless list of factors that go into‬
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‭decision-making. About six months ago, I had to decide to switch my major. The factors‬
‭involved were my mental status, cognitive ability, and future. I was in a miserable major and‬
‭gained nothing from it but stress. Since I switched, I have been happy and content with my‬
‭choice. In project management, you have to consider a long list of things. This list includes the‬
‭scope, your team, and more. Another factor is Decision Context which “is the setting in which‬
‭decisions occur…setting refers to the situation faced by the decision maker”(Powell & Buede,‬
‭2008, p. 3). Understanding the setting is also a significant factor to consider when making‬
‭decisions. Prospect theory is “‬‭decision-making when‬‭there is a choice between multiple‬
‭prospects, and you have to choose one”(Goodpasture, 2010). Having to choose between multiple‬
‭options with multiple factors can be very stressful. There is another part to the prospect: "The‬
‭theory predicts that for certain common conditions or combinations of choice,‬‭there will be‬
‭violations of rational decision rules‬‭”(Goodpasture,2010).‬‭Learning this opened my eyes to how‬
‭blind I have been to the extent decision can go. This theory states that decisions will almost‬
‭always have violations, bias being the most common. In scenario A, multiple factors played into‬
‭your result. Trying to figure out how to balance the factors was very different. In the end, I‬
‭learned that you can always have your cake and eat it too. Sometimes you just have cake. Having‬
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‭ ultiple choices with multiple factors can get confusing, and the key is to organize that list, so‬
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‭nothing is left out. You will be left to deal with risks and repercussions if something is left out.‬

“‭ It was raining, so the street was wet.” With cause comes its effects. This is something that needs‬
‭thorough analysis before finalizing the decision. There have been lots of projects that fail‬
‭because of poor decision planning. An example is the construction of D.I.A in 1989. The risks‬
‭were assessed as standard, and the decision was made with this in mind. Due to this, it went 1.5‬
‭billion dollars out of budget and had a 16-month delay. In these cases, they do not analyze the‬
‭cases thoroughly enough or decide based on hidden agendas. These effects are not always‬
‭harmful. There are lots of positive effects that come from projects. Any car you see, building, or‬
‭park is an example of a successful project. With both good and bad effects could bring a ‘domino‬
‭effect.’ One wrong decision can make the building fall. One good decision can put you ahead of‬
‭schedule. Also, these decisions can affect your Constraints. Adding a budget can make the‬
‭project go faster, but by taking it away, you run the risk of offsetting your quality and time‬
‭constraints. In scenario A, there were various examples of one constraint affecting another. When‬
‭I would change the number of people, the cost would go up, but the time frame would decrease.‬
‭Also, I did not have many meetings in one simulation run, and my team was stressed and‬
‭frustrated with me. Examples like this can cause a domino effect. My team is stressed because I‬
‭put too much work into them. They do not like me and no longer trust me. Also, production‬
‭slowed down because the goal seemed unachievable, and the team basically ‘gave up’ in a way.‬
‭The effects of a leader's decisions can be devastating, with losing trust in your team being the‬
‭biggest.‬

‭ rying to prevent poor decisions can be very helpful, but they are never bulletproof, But having‬
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‭something is better than nothing. Understanding your role as the Project Manager is crucial to the‬
‭project's success. Not only do you have to run your team, but you also have to make these‬
‭decisions in support of your team, always trying to find the right one. As the leader, you support‬
‭your team and guide them to success. You guide them by planning, organizing, creating the‬
‭framework, and much more. You need many skills to be an effective decision-maker, such as‬
‭“‬‭Leadership: because you need other people to trust‬‭you can make the decision and to abide by‬
‭what you decide” (Harrin, 2022). Harrin’s blog post discusses five tips to improve your‬
‭decision-making: having enough time, all the facts, consequence analysis, other options, and‬
‭flexibility(2022). These are all critical parts of the decision-making process because these are the‬
‭steps I go through. When I have a large bill, I must figure out whether to pull from my savings or‬
‭pay from my cash and weigh all the options. Sometimes I have to do the right thing, not what I‬
‭want to do at that moment. Last week I pulled money from my spending account to pay for a‬
‭medical bill because it was the more intelligent thing to do. Also, prevent failure to use a‬
‭framework to assess risks and decisions. If able to bring someone from the outside to assess the‬
‭decisions and their risks. In scenario A, I could set up a specific scenario and have it work for‬
‭two weeks, and then it failed. I was not assessing my team enough and evaluating my decisions‬
‭enough to understand how they were affecting each other in the long run.‬

‭ ecision-making is the ultimate factor of projects. I have learned that being scared of the‬
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‭decision will get me nowhere, and the best thing to do is to be knowledgeable and have all the‬
‭information I need to succeed. Also, there is no such thing as a wrong decision. Not all effects‬
‭are good or bad; you will always learn something from them. You can learn that what you did‬
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‭ as right or that what you did was wrong. It is vital to the integrity of your project to understand‬
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‭the decision-making process and how decisions affect other things like your team, constraints,‬
‭and outcomes. However, most importantly, grasping the ability to understand how to bounce‬
‭back from mistakes or prevent them. Decisions fill our days and our projects, and because of‬
‭decisions, they can be gone at a moment's notice. Understanding the level at which decisions, as‬
‭someone in leadership, affect others and processes the sooner we will understand how to prevent‬
‭them but not completely stop them. I have learned that being scared of the decision will get me‬
‭nowhere, and the best thing to do is to be knowledgeable and have all the information I need to‬
‭succeed.‬
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‭Work Cited‬

‭Goodpasture, J. (2010, November 27).‬‭Prospect Theory:‬‭Decisions under Risk‬‭. Musings on‬

‭Project Management. Retrieved January 18, 2023, from‬

‭http://www.johngoodpasture.com/‬

‭Harrin, E. (2022, April 12).‬‭5 Tips for Better Decision‬‭Making (With Process)‬‭. Rebel’s Guide to‬

‭Project Management.‬

‭https://rebelsguidetopm.com/5-tips-for-making-better-decisions-every-day/‬
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‭Powell, R. A., & Buede, D. M. (2008).‬‭The Project Manager’s Guide to Making Successful‬

‭Decisions‬‭(Illustrated). Berrett-Koehler Publishers.‬