One of the primary elements in the construction industry that truly separates the successful companies from the not-so-successful companies is the ability to make good, effective decisions. And yet it's one of those areas of our businesses that we usually don't spend a lot of time thinking about. Oh, we think about the decisions we make, just not about how we make them.

In years past, we hired and promoted our people into supervisory positions based, in a large part, on their ability to make fast, bold decisions that would keep the project moving forward. But we can no longer "shoot from the hip" and pick the option that will just get us through today, or maybe just the next hour. Today we must make decisions using and absorbing more information than ever before. Decisions still need to be made relatively quickly, but we must have a sound process for making sure we've made the best decision.

If you want to get your people focused on a sound decision-making process (and if you haven't been involved in a good five-step program lately!), consider the following:

First, classify the decision. For example, what area does the decision relate to, such as safety, blueprints, hiring, productivity, etc.? Is the decision unique to a particular project, customer or vendor, or is it a common or generic issue? Generic issues usually have a precedent, having come up on previous occasions. They often involve a policy or regulation that helps guide the decision maker toward the right decision, and these decisions are usually able to be made more quickly and efficiently.

Second, we need to define this decision-making opportunity. What is it, exactly, that we are deciding on? What resources do I have, or need, to make this decision? What is the level of importance or urgency of this decision? Defining the opportunity clarifies the direction and focus of our thinking as we analyze all of the data available relating to the issue. Another helpful way of looking at this is to write down the situation as it exists then write down what the situation would be in its "corrected" state. This can focus you on the path toward making the best decision.