‘Digest’ problems to make good decisions It’s the process that matters


How do you make decisions? A lot of the time, people make decisions without really thinking about it. They use their instinct and just hope that they have done the right thing. However, this kind of decision-making is no good in business, and probably not the best way to decide big things in our everyday lives either. If you follow the process carefully, the decision will usually be a good one.


We can summarize the process of good decision-making in the acronym DIGEST. What does DIGEST mean? In general English, it has a number of meanings, including ‘to break down food in the stomach’, but, in this case, the word just helps us remember the six parts of the process.


Firstly, define the problem – say what you are really trying to do. Secondly, imagine a successful solution. This is usually easy. (If it isn’t, go back to the first stage again and re-define the problem.) Thirdly, generate alternative possibilities. There is very rarely only one possible solution to a problem. Think of several solutions and you are more likely to come up with a good one in the end. Fourthly, evaluate the possibilities – look at each one carefully and consider the good and the bad points about it. Fifthly, select the best one. (Again, an obvious stage.) Finally, tell people your decision. You should certainly do this if the decision affects other people. Even if it doesn’t, you should tell other people because it might be difficult to stick to your decision later. The more people you tell about your decision, the harder it is to change your mind later.


Table 1: The DIGEST process


Define Imagine


Generate Evaluate Select Tell


the problem. a successful solution. alternative possibilities. the possibilities. the best one. people your decision.


Let’s work through an example of the process in action. First, the problem. Let’s say that you have lectures every morning and keep arriving late. You imagine a successful solution to the problem. That is easy in this case. You need to arrive ten minutes before the first lecture. However, perhaps you live a long way from the university and the first lecture begins at 9.00. You need to generate some alternative possibilities. You could take a bus, but don’t like public transport … Stop! During the brainstorm, you must not evaluate the possibilities or criticize them. Why? Because there are two sides to the human brain – a creative side and a logical side. It is impossible to get both sides working well at the same time. In this case, you need the creative side first, to generate the alternatives, then the logical side, to evaluate each one. So, make a list of possibilities. You could take a taxi, or go in your father’s car. You could hire a driver, or stay overnight with a friend, etc. Then go through them one by one, thinking of any difficulties. You could give each possibility a number of crosses, one for each difficulty. Finally, when you have evaluated all the possibilities, you need to select one. And that’s it. Well, not quite. Tell people about it, remember.


You will not make perfect decisions every time, even with this decision-making process. However, there is an old saying in business: ‘There is only one thing worse than a bad decision and that is no decision at all.’


Theme 3: Reading 87


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