The process of decision making

Variables affects changes and the outcome thereof. Decision-making, therefore, is utmost in any sphere of life. By attentively mapping out the order for making desired alteration, institutions and people avoid making losses through the use of gathered information and a careful examination of alternatives. The process of taking a decision needs a careful assessment of pathways and implications to make informed decisions.

Keywords: Decision-making, process, analysis, information

Decision-making Process

Most activities in life have a decision-making process of some type. This paper will cover the decision process that I involved in at a diagnostic laboratory. In brief, the decision-making process include a team of stakeholders, who play their function, each concentrating on the problems and opportunities available. The laboratory is an integral component of a healthcare system. Therefore, any hitches faced could put patients in an awkward position and can cause medical errors or death. The activities therein include the utilization of equipment, use of diagnostic skills and analysis of samples obtained to help the physicians to understand the cause of disease and injury. I used the knowledge of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) to propose the decision-making process that led to improvement in the running of the lab. The emphasis on the (SWOT) scheme creates enormous benefits to an organization, leading to reducing the problems and growing the Strengths (Kuo, Kushniruk, & Borycki, 2010). The outcome of SWOT was beneficial to the lab despite the challenges faced. The efficiency and performance improved considerably, and the personnel was motivated.
The effectiveness of SWOT analysis is achieved by likening the outcomes with the places where the study is carried out (van Wijngaarden et al., 2012). Some of the challenging areas were those that Specimen processing delays caused grievances from the physicians that placed the requests, and therefore interrupting the patient treatment process, and therefore exposing threats to the quality assurance standards of the health center. The lab essentially had four personnel, the technician in charge and other staff. As a scientist, having been posted to the lab, I purposed to bring up the suggestion of SWOT. The complaints of delays in the analysis of specimen increased substantially leading to a crisis because the patients that needed medication were sometimes given wrong medication due to a mix-up of samples. The lab basically, has four main parts; registry, separation, analysis, and dispatch. The number one weakness was that there remained no particular rules for the functioning of the lab, because none of the staff had distinct parts to play, and consequently it was easy to take the least notice of the entrance of samples for testing. Time gaps in the lab were the first cause of these delays. Another weakness included documentation, such that some of the samples obtained were not registered and dated correctly, causing mix up between urgent requests. Suggesting the SWOT technique reduced weaknesses and threats while increasing strengths and opportunities.
Decision-making remains to be the key to a successful SWOT analysis. The initial step led to the Strengths of the lab, which were the benefits thereof. Particular Strengths included enough human capital, apparatus, and standard operating procedures (SOPs). The Weaknesses had much to do with the operations that were not helping in the achievement of required standards. The notable shortfalls faced by the lab were improper records, disorder, neglect and letdown of not using the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These vital issues clearly mapped out the reforms required. Opportunities were the surrounding basics that encouraged the lab to apply for the benefits. The apparatus in the laboratory were in decent and working capabilities. The centrifuges for sample separation were working. The refrigeration system was operational, but no proper chatting was conducted. The backlog of specimens significantly led to the overall delivery of results at the right time, such that the current and the prior were kept well. The threats collectively referred to any critical control points that could cause problems. The reorganization of furniture and equipment greatly improved efficiency and the delivery of results.
I would recommend assessing capabilities, flaws, potentials and threats for any firm that is undergoing organizational problems. This philosophy is all-inclusive such that it will empower one to recognize the critical issues that act as instrumental proxies of low output, make variations and implement the reform. SWOT leads to the establishment of improved management principles in any other organization. ( Wijngaarden, Scholten, & Wijk, 2012). For many years, plan or strategic management has been very central to firms (Grandy and Mills, 2004). The aftermath of a SWOT analysis, the sound strategies are organized into workable leads, together with the ideas to be implemented for better gains. The objectives should be attainable and if not the analysis can be done using different approaches.

The decision process infographic

References

Kuo, M. H., Kushniruk, A., & Borycki, E. (2010). Can cloud computing benefit health services?-a SWOT analysis. Studies in health technology and informatics, 169, 379-383.
van Wijngaarden, J. D., Scholten, G. R., & van Wijk, K. P. (2012). Strategic analysis for health care organizations: the suitability of the SWOT‐analysis. The International journal of health planning and management, 27(1), 34-49.
Grandy, G., & Mills, A. J. (2004). Strategy as simulacra? A radical reflexive look at the discipline and practice of strategy. Journal of management studies, 41(7), 1153-1170.