The decision-making process does not end once a choice is made. The chosen alternative must be implemented. Sometimes the people involved in making the choice must put it into effect. At other times, they delegate the responsibility for implementation to others, such as when a top management team changes a policy or operating procedure and has operational managers carry out the change. Unfortunately, sometimes people make decisions but don’t take action. You must take action. If you have a great plan but you don't tell anyone about it or put it into action, then there as no point in creating it. Implementing may fail to occur when talking a lot is mistaken for doing a lot, if people just assume that a decision will “happen”; when people forget that merely making a decision changes nothing; when meetings, plans, and reports are seen as “actions,” even if they have no effect on what people actually do; and if managers don’t check to ensure that what was decided was actually done. The following questions are useful:
1. What problems could this action cause? 2. What can we do to prevent the problems? 3. What unintended benefits or opportunities could arise? 4. How can we make sure they happen? 5. How can we be ready to act when the opportunities come?
Managers should plan implementation carefully. Adequate planning requires several steps:
1. Determine how things will look when the decision is fully operational. 2. Chronologically order, perhaps with a flow diagram, the steps necessary to achieve a fully operational decision. 3. List the resources and activities required to implement each step. 4. Estimate the time needed for each step. 5. Assign responsibility for each step to specific individuals.
Decision makers should presume that things will not go smoothly during implementation. It is very useful to take a little extra time to identify potential problems and identify potential opportunities associated with implementation. Then you can take actions to prevent problems and also be ready to seize on unexpected opportunities.