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 Multi-objective
Decision Analysis
Elsie provides customized
consulting using a methodology called Multi-objective
Decision Analysis.
What is it?
Say you are executive director of a small organization
undergoing major change. Board members and staff have
lots of ideas that don't fit together. Other issues
loom, such as new grant opportunities, volatile markets
and emerging technologies. I provide you a structure
for decision making - to clarify mission, evaluate risk
and create new program alternatives - that gets you
started in a focused direction. And, all stakeholders
participate and own the effort.
Say you are president of an organization facing a severe
funding crisis. Your management team disagrees about
how to adjust operations and make budget cuts. Attempts
in previous years were painful and departments with
the most eloquent speakers often come out ahead. I provide
you a structure for allocating resources - by defining
priorities so that you squeeze the most value out of
the dollars you do have. And, in the process, all the
players participate in decision making appropriate to
their positions.
Say you have just completed a major project, such as
organizing a large conference or artistic performance.
Not everything went as well as you would have liked.
I provide a structure for lessons learned - to reflect
on that effort, smooth out the wrinkles - so you do
it better next time, all without assigning blame to
anyone.
Multi-objective Decision Analysis is a tool that can
help make strategic decisions and set priorities, or
it can be used to ensure operating decisions tie to
your mission.
- Strategic
Decision Making - Revise your mission or clarify
your existing mission. In the process, create measurable
performance criteria for all your fundamental objectives,
not just the financial ones. Build a set of strategies
that will help you implement your mission. This decision
aid is designed particularly for small nonprofit organizations,
such as a dance company or charter school, whose resources
are scarce.
Use your mission to help make a difficult, complex
decision that can't be satisfactorily solved with
intuition or heated debate. Understand and recognize
risks by naming them, by assessing their impact and
by starting to understand how to manage them. Develop
new ideas and gain a new way of thinking about old
problems.
- Resource allocation
- Establish objectives and set priorities for your
operating budget based on your mission. Senior management,
or the board, participate as policy makers; staff
and managers participate as technical experts, using
their expertise to implement policies set by the board.
This decision aid is particularly helpful for budgets
that span very different activities, such as from
advertising to tree trimming.
- Lessons Learned
- Reflect on a major project at its completion or
review an unexpected crisis after the dust has settled.
Key benefits
When applied properly, Operations
Research tools, such as Multi-objective Decision Analysis,
are mathematically sound and provide accurate recommendations.
This decision tool helps participants be disciplined
and rigorous, giving format and direction to a complicated
process.
- It is precise.
- It is verifiable.
- It helps participants find common ground.
- It is portable and is always customized to fit each
organization's specific needs.
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Map | info@myersmartinconsulting.com
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