“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision” – Peter F. Drucker
The science of modern psychology defines decision making as a cognitive process that bears an outcome in the form of selecting a course of action from a range of available alternatives. Every domain of human enterprise remains subject to some form of decision making; these domains include commerce, science, engineering, retail businesses, travel services, manufacturing, financial services, research, business services, etc. In each of these domains, actors seek to arrive at the best decision after considering a range of possible alternatives. These decisions are informed by a variety of factors specific to the domain. Timelines, costs, consumer reaction, long-term considerations, evolving business landscapes, disruptive events, the dictates of convention, emergency measures, etc. represent some of the factors that spur the act of modern decision making. The use of flowcharts has been endorsed as a tool that enables better decision making in the contemporary context.
Assembling the facts remains the first priority when decision makers embark upon the mission to achieve better decision making. Facts are crucial because they negate subjectivity in such exercises, while upholding the integrity of a subsequent decision. Flowchart diagrams, when populated by a sequence of facts, can lead the way to better decision making in most contexts. These illustrations offer bona fide scope to visualize extant information in an extended chain that originates in the left and proceeds to the termination point on the right side of a canvas. However, variations may emerge when designers of such illustrations deviate from the norms of defined orthodoxy. In addition, a careful consideration of these facts allows decision makers to consider all possible outcomes prior to selecting a particular course of action. We note the visual impact generated by a completed flowchart contributes significantly to better decision making in modern times.
The use of colors is a critical input when designers create flowcharts to achieve better decision making. Colors exert a forceful impression on the human mind and the use of various shades (and tints) allows the construction of a graded illustration that aids better decision making. Each designer may choose to implement a different palette of colors in the pursuit of creating a modern flowchart. A flowchart designer, for instance, may elect to paint decision points in bright red, while applying green to signify the movement of positive forces inside a flowchart. Uncertainty may find representation in gray inside this illustration, while yellow may signal facts that make a positive contribution to the end-decision. This color-coded diagram emerges as a roadmap that will ultimately promote the act of better decision making in human enterprise. Intelligent designers may use gradations of tints to signify the transformation of one stage to the next, thereby aiding reader comprehension in the pursuit of productive decision making.
Alternative courses of action can emerge as important factors that aid the act of better decision making. The majority of decision making processes hinge on the availability of alternatives that propel human thought processes, consume time in the attainment of a final decision, yet contribute to creating a remarkable sense of balance prior to the achievement of the stated objective. In line with this, business operators can design flowcharts that consider the outcomes of a multiplicity of available alternatives. Such an illustration can manifest in the form of a stacked group of parallel sequences that describe multiple lines of considerations and future actions as part of the proceedings. Each line presents an alternative course of action for the consideration of business strategists; a close assessment of these lines propels movement toward better decision making. In addition, designers and strategists may elect to create synthetic options that spotlight the best elements from different lines of thought. Clearly, the flowchart remains central to the act of pursuing better decision making in modern times.
Plans, controls, and actuators emerge as important participants when flowcharts drive the mission of better decision making. These elements, various in their manifestations per the domain, describe different events and inputs inside a flowchart diagram. For instance, an operator of commercial airline services may position a range of actions inside a flowchart; these can be classified as the elements of different plans, control elements, and various actuators. The interplay between can find visual depiction inside the flowchart through the use of connectors, lines of causation, and minor outcomes that depict the ebb and flow that pulsates inside said illustration. Business strategists must exert brainpower to arrive at the most suitable line of action as part of better decision making processes and activities. Interestingly, the elements of control and actuation can be mated closely inside the flowchart, thereby creating the image of dense ganglia that may throw readers and reviewers off the proverbial scent. This conundrum finds resolution when designers position legends inside the flowchart diagram.
Crowdsourcing, or the participation of multiple entities inside a process, can spur acts pertaining to better decision making in a variety of contemporary contexts. Business leaders, for instance, can invite active participation from multiple stakeholders as part of a strategy that promotes the calibrated use of crowd wisdom. A flowchart, when designed to depict such a strategy, can emerge as a visual confluence of ideas and suggestions that flow from different elements positioned inside said diagram. The resulting image may be interpreted as a representation of the building blocks that power better decision making. We may assume every action depicted inside such an illustration as an impulse that makes a contribution to the final decision. However, we must take cognizance of the lines of amity, conflict, interrogation, confluence, divergence, and disruption that may distinguish the dialogue emanating from such illustrations. The resulting image is a clear instance of the visual image driving various acts that constitute better decision making.
A sense of balance is crucial to ensure the success of thought processes that promote better decision making in business environments. In line with this, strategists must consider assigning different weightages to the various elements positioned inside a flowchart. We may consider a baseline value for such weightage and (subsequently) build these values in line with a defined value system. The commensurate numbers, when appended to the different stages, represent key operational aspects of such a strategy. Individual designers may elect to install a coded system inside the flowchart with a view to promote a clear view of the illustration. Subsequently, readers and reviewers can interpret the resulting image to drive clear insights into better decision making. Additionally, revisions to these diagrams can be implemented on a different canvas with a view to preserve the original thought processes that powered the creation of the master illustration.
These lines of inquiry, exploration, and analyses bring to the fore the many moving parts that empower flowcharts to emerge as a tool for better decision making. Modern businesses must leverage the considerable powers of these analytical diagrams as part of their business strategy. The heavy visualization enabled by flowcharts allow strategists and planners to cut through the proverbial clutter and court superb clarity in terms of the means to achieve business objectives. Additionally, a close perusal of these diagrams promotes the development of new strategy in many a domain of human enterprise. We may consider the flowchart as a canvas to frame masterful instances of business strategy designed to promote the core impulse of modern commerce.
