What a decision ready to take looks like
Four parts turn a question from an agent into a decision you can take in a minute. A short guide with an example.
When an agent needs you, the worst it can do is hand you everything it found and ask “what do you think?”. You then do the work twice: once to understand, once to decide.
A decision ready to take has four parts.
- The question, in one line. “Renew the support contract with the current vendor?”
- The options, few and real. Renew for one year. Renew for three years at a discount. Run a tender.
- A recommendation and the reason. “Renew for one year: the three-year discount is smaller than the price drop expected after the new release.”
- How sure it is, measured. Not “I am confident”, but a number that comes from how often decisions like this one turned out right before.
With these four parts most decisions take a minute. You agree, or you pick another option, or you see in the reason something the agent could not know and you correct it. Either way the work moves on and you do not reopen a file you already read.
What stays out
Everything the agent decided on its own stays out of your way: you can look at it if you want, but it does not ask for your attention. A good agent also groups its questions: one moment for you, not a drip through the day.
Try it on your own work
Next time you ask a colleague or an assistant for help with a choice, ask for the answer in these four parts. The difference is immediate, with or without agents.