Here's how you can overcome decision-making biases as a program manager.

It is crucial to recognize and overcome decision-making biases to make informed, objective choices. One approach is to seek diverse perspectives from team members with different backgrounds and experiences. Establishing clear, measurable criteria for decision-making also helps reduce personal biases. Data-driven insights and analytics can support decisions, rather than relying on intuition. Taking time to reflect and consider different scenarios and outcomes can prevent impulsive decisions. Using decision-making frameworks like cost-benefit analysis or SWOT analysis can structure the decision-making process. By implementing these strategies, program managers can minimize the impact of biases and make informed decisions that drive success.

Two disciplines: 1. I always started my effort with the assumption I did not know anything about the subject of the project. 2. We had a standard fixed list of possible subjects to be researched before reaching a conclusion. We reviewed each item on that list and selected those that were most germane to the project.

One thing I’ve always found helpful is find perspective in others. Whether they’re direct stake holders or those to be Informed in the RACI format, it’s good to gather diverse perspectives of the objective. Use what is gained to seek evidence (data typically) to confirm or present another perspective entirely. I typically PM to improve contractor work, and typically contractors are looked at as sub par to those internally who can do the same work. Analytics many time showed otherwise. Then I’d ask the group how their assumptions are found in the data or how the data drives the assumptions. I then like to flip the question on its head and re-ask from the opposite perspective - what makes X group or X process good? What really needs fixing?

As a program manager, it is key to request input from the team in a forum where all ideas are listened to, documented, and clarified. Then pros and cons can be weighed in order to act on the best solution. Not only does this help to solidify the course of action that will provide the best outcome (in all likelihood), it will also create buy-in from the team since the solution came from their brainstorming as a group.

It is very important to look in to the issue putting self and any body who might be involved aside. Information is a crutial power to make approlriate decision free from bias. Then courage is also important to tackle whatever perceived attitudes of biased decisions from others. Clear communication will also help to clear perceptions of biased decision.

One thing I have found useful most of the times that as much your team is diverse, as much good decision you can make with respect to success of program. The well known fact applies here .. many minds many ideas for a success story!

For progressive leaders and organisations, diversity (and equity and inclusion) continues to be an imperative and ethical necessity. Consumer sentiments reflected through purchasing power and social activism, will ultimately determine and influence the level of diversity within brands and organisations.

Diversity will always be a crucial element to the growth of a team and business. But it goes beyond different demographics and different exposure to experiences and skills, it is also how you utilise these characteristics to make the most of everyone’s strengths and synergise as efficiently as possible.

An important aspect of diversity is having access to different perspectives, these allow to complement your own techniques and experiences around things like problem solving. In addition to that it brings cultures together and position teams to interact more effectively and deliver further productivity than when operating within a single viewpoint within the organization.

Diverse Teams: Build diverse teams with different perspectives, backgrounds, and expertise. Encourage Input: Actively seek and value input from all team members, especially those with different viewpoints.

A long time mentor of mine used to say 'Facts are our friends ". I firmly believe that data is a powerful tool. It is the best way to make the right decision for your stakeholders and beneficiaries and to strategically use resources and budget. With data-driven decision-making, teams and organizations can stay relevant and provide services efficiently.

Gathering data is important but it needs to be the right data. I’ve seen awful managers try to use data to tell the WRONG story. Therefore you need to always question the validity of the data if concerned and ensure you can tell the right story

Often times, many of us in decision making roles can come to the table with some type of bias. It’s extremely important for us to: 1). Acknowledge these biases and separate them from the job beforehand; 2). Utilize data (both qualitative and quantitative) to operate from an objective lenses. This is imperative as our initial decisions can have wide ranging impact. Data and outcomes from implemented programs not only inform future funding decisions and continuity planning, but they often inform policy development and other systems level changes.

Data driven decision making is key. However, it is easy to get overwhelmed with analysis and loose sight of the key objectives and constraints. I am glad that establishing check lists and having a diverse team was also included in this article. With that said, program managers often have to make decisions with incomplete date. This can be uncomfortable for some, but it is something that we all must get used to. Having a team of diverse specialists helps if the team feels empowered to speak up. Also, check lists and data models can be skewed. In short, we have to make decisions and it’s best to have multiple checks and boundaries to guide us down the right path.

I find it extremely helpful in my journey to do a lot of listening. By listening - some of questions or road blocks may be identified. It is then important to synthesize what is at hand - ask the Why? Who? What ? When? Where? Creating a safe space to allow all kind of questions to be Asked enables for a healthy environment and thinking “factory”. Regular and frequent audits and team builders help to reevaluate as well - why do we do what we do ? Can we do better or less of something?

In order to challenge assumptions we first need to know and be conscious of our own. That is a day-to-day task. While in college (a Christian Catholic one) I took a class called Socio-Cultural Anthropology, taught by an amazing atheist professor. She was probably the first person who opened my mind to see the world, cultures, races and tribes from their own perspective, and not just mine. We all assume, at some point. So, doing a conscious exercise to challenge them is a healthy task to run better teams and programs.

One must try to argue against the mental position going to be taken or inclined to take. It helps pick out negatives and problems inherent in the position taken by the person and avoid wrong judgments. In every situation and pre-decision-making time, a person must take time to examine self-beliefs, views, societal beliefs, and any hidden bias one has. It aids in understanding the biases that may come into play while deciding on any situation or topic.

Questioning the status quo and examining underlying beliefs can uncover hidden biases that cloud judgment. We should encourage our team to critically evaluate assumptions, embrace diverse viewpoints, and use data-driven analysis to validate or refute them. By fostering a culture of curiosity and openness, you can make more informed, objective decisions that will enhance your overall program success. That's my 2 cents.

Navigating decision-making biases is like a scientist conducting experiments. To overcome biases, always challenge assumptions. Tests hypotheses without preconceived notions, and critically evaluate the foundations of your decisions. In a key project at Amazon, I frequently questioned baseline data and assumptions, leading to more precise solutions. Try to disconfirm your beliefs and hear more voices that don't align with your own. By adopting a scientific mindset and challenging assumptions, you make decisions that are data-driven and unbiased.

Review Decisions: After implementation, review the outcomes of your decisions to learn from successes and failures. Adjust Accordingly: Use the insights gained to adjust future decision-making processes and avoid repeating mistakes.

What are your results telling you? All the data in the world is useless if it doesn't give you a basis for solutions or new actions. Don't be surprised if there is something in there that you didn't expect and incorporate it into your plans and actions.

One thing that happens systematically is that decisions are made and the changes without given them time to take effect and draw meaningful results from which one may reflect upon. The need to change must at times be overridden with the need to see results before blindly making a shift because time and money are too precious to management. In waiting for results to reflect and analyze an organization gains more in decision-making power than it loses in time spent waiting for outcomes sufficient to understand of the first change added value.

Even though I agree with the concept, I think that a framework like this could easily end up being bureaucratic and slow organizations down. Pragmatism sometimes requires free flow of ideas and decisions so things move forward fast and at innovation pace. That said, checks and balances are always a good way to keep things under control.

Integrating oversight and oversight mechanisms into decision-making is a powerful approach to reduce distortions in judgment. Establish clear criteria for making choices and create a framework for reviewing and challenging these choices before they are conclusively accepted. This could involve a review by colleagues or a structured evaluation guided by recognized standards. These actions aim to reduce the likelihood of any one-sided perspective disproportionately affecting the outcomes and promote a more deliberate and thoughtful method in the decision-making process.

Decision Frameworks: Use structured decision-making frameworks and tools to guide your process. Checklists: Create checklists to ensure all relevant factors are considered before making a decision.

Deploy a decision scorecard with critical criteria and weighted scores to counteract bias. It ensures decision-making transparency and provides a post-implementation record for review against anticipated results versus actual performance. While beneficial, it may not appeal to all team members due to the cognitive effort and time required. Use it for critical strategic decisions requiring significant investments.

One thing that I observed is the decision bias surfaces generally when I do not have enough data points or any precedence, no expertise. In such cases building an agile mindset helps. Building a culture of experimentation, fail fast fail cheap works best. It also helps to contextualise the approach & decision to specific situation rather than historical data or applying theory. Another aspect that is extremely important is to consider the urgency and critically of the decision. Available time horizon for implementation has significant influence on decision making.

Slow Down: Avoid making rushed decisions by taking the time to think things through and gather necessary information. Mindfulness Practices: Engage in mindfulness practices to enhance self-awareness and reduce emotional biases. Regular Training: Participate in training programs focused on cognitive biases and decision-making skills.

Trust your gut. Often times, it’s easier to refer to people with more experience for advice, but at some point, trusting ourselves with the decisions we make puts us in a stronger position to maintain control of our environments, our minds and the people around us. If your decisions succeed, then continue to progress. If they fail, then it’s an opportunity to learn and grow next time. Failure it good.

Tackling biases is critical to sound decision-making. Implement a structured decision process to limit snap judgments and encourage diverse team input to challenge biases like groupthink. Promoting an environment of psychological safety ensures all voices are heard, reducing authority bias. Utilize tools like decision matrices to maintain objectivity and regularly review past decisions to learn and adapt. These steps can significantly refine your decision-making process.