Smart Choices
by John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney and Howard Raiffa
Three decision scientists' PrOACT method: problem, objectives, alternatives, consequences, tradeoffs, plus uncertainty, risk tolerance and linked decisions. It is the most practical formal decision book, with worked examples, and it is especially good on defining the problem and the objectives before generating options.
Read it if…
you face a significant decision and want a rigorous, usable process.
Skip it if…
you want intuition and heuristics; this is structured analysis.
Three things you will actually use
- Define the problem carefully; most errors start there.
- Objectives before alternatives.
- Even swaps make tradeoffs tractable.
Do this first
For your current decision, write the problem statement three different ways before listing any options.
Our verdict
Rigorous and usable.
Compare with other Mindset books
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life
Steven C. Hayes with Spencer Smith · Mindset
The source; dense and rich.
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