Life Roadmaps - Managing Dependencies

I’ve been populating a sample Life Roadmap within the Decision Driven® Life web service for a fictional 20-something, Jim Geny.  Here’s a filtered view of this roadmap that focuses on the alignment between 3 decisions:

Life Vision
Talents/Skills to Develop
Good Habits to Promote

Jim has started to think about what it will take to achieve his “next” life [...]

More roadmapping enhancements

Yesterday I explained the logic behind 2 ways to “colorize” roadmaps based on Preference (commitment level, decideness) and Implementation Status.  This wasn’t a theoretical discussion - today I released an enhanced roadmap feature within the Decision Driven® Strategy and Life web services that supports both schemes.  I also added support for very large browser sizes (1600 x [...]

Align Roadmaps feature released

Yesterday, I released the new Align Roadmaps feature for the Decision Driven® Strategy and Decision Driven® Life web services.  This feature will enable you to build a set of linked roadmaps, i.e. to time-align the alternatives across multiple decisions.  The most common use of this in business is to produce a set of technology roadmaps [...]

Decision skills for teens

Most of the attempts to teach decision-making skills to teenagers (that I’m aware of) have focused on basic decision analysis techniques (criteria, alternatives, evaluation/scoring, risk/uncertainty).  This is great, but I think it’s much more valuable to teach them the “big picture” skills of proactive decision management rather than the details of good decision-making.  Teenagers don’t [...]

Small footprint, large impact living

The recent media buzz about our carbon footprint reminded me of my personal goal to have a “small footprint, large impact” life.   I try to live out this principle in every area of life and business. 
I do a lot of formal and informal teaching; sharing of valuable insights and skills.  I’ve paid a price to [...]

When should I use problem analysis?

Even though problem analysis involves a completely distinct thinking process than decision-making, I often have to clarify this distinction before I can move folks to get on with the decisions that will create their future.  See my April 17 blog entry, “Problem-solving is decision-making, problem analysis is not” for more details.
I’m a future-focused, future-creating individual.  [...]

Some assembly, er training required

My primary motivation behind creating the Decision Driven® Strategy and Life web services was to pass on some really valuable skills and concepts to a much broader audience than I could ever reach using a traditional consulting model.  In a large company, high tech environment, I typically have delivered a 3-day hands-on workshop to transfer the unique [...]

Decisions can be fun!

Recently I’ve been writing quite a few deep and thoughtful blog entries on serious subjects that relate to accelerated strategy and product development (e.g. Massively parallel thinking, Thinking Breakdown Structures, Accelerate Ideas into Reality, etc.).  I don’t want to lose sight of a simple truth - Decisions can be fun!
Decisions are how we human beings [...]

Thinking tools for thinking people

The human race is a race of tool-builders.  Archeologists, anthropologists and paleontologists describe ancient populations in terms of their technologies; the tools that they shaped to give them some advantage over their environment.
Decision Driven® Life and Decision Driven® Strategy are thinking tools for thinking people.  Of course, not every member of the human race qualifies [...]

Influencing others - truthfully

I occasionally get irate at TV commercials (ask my wife).  When I look across the landscape of our economy, it seems that 90% of all selling (from businesses, politicians and pulpits) involves lies, distortions, exaggerations, conflations, fine print and half-truths.  Or more kindly, persuasive emotional arguments based on faulty logic (my identity is tied to my car, clothes, [...]