PMI Decision-Making Tool

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that planning using the PMI technique (1) gives managers a standard of measurement, thus allowing managers to determine if goals are being met; (2) helps managers to transform values and beliefs into specific coherent actions; and (3) allows limited resources like budgets and human resources to be committed in the most efficient manner. The author points out that, in the PMI technique, the T-chart is divided into three sections: plus (good points), minus (negative points), and interesting sections (points that are neither specifically good nor bad, but applicable, interesting, or have extended implications for the decision). The paper relates that the PMI may not be especially useful when a manager has few or no prejudices regarding a specific decision and already has a broad and nonjudgmental understanding of the problem; when a manager has strong existing biases, the PMI is especially useful.

From the Paper:

"Small and large businesses, for profit and non-profit organizations, high technology and manufacturing businesses all require good decisions to be viable and successful. Further, in today's fast-paced and complex business environment, managers are often faced with difficult and sometimes seemingly unsolvable problems. As such, managers require decision making tools and techniques that are effective across a wide variety of situations. The Plus/Minus/Interesting (PMI) decision-making technique is one of most valuable and simple tools that managers can use to make effective decisions. Developed by Edward de Bono in his 1982 book, de Bono's Thinking Course, the PMI is essentially a thinking tool (PMI Edward de Bono's) that amplifies and improves on the common pro and con lists that many people devise."

More papers on PMI Decision-Making Tool:

• Analytical Essay # 122150 : "Decision Making Tool: Explanation and Application"
• Case Study # 120704 : "Decision-Making Tools"
• Term Paper # 115100 : "Flowcharts as a Decision-Making Tool"

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