While many decisions are made in order to solve problems, some decisions are more the result of opportunities that present themselves. In many cases these opportunistic occasions may provide new ways of doing things or be the beginning of new business if properly pursued and executed. When planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling, managers make decisions on a daily basis. Elements of some decisions are so similar and made so often that they may be referred to as programmed decisions. Non-programmed decisions are unique and may have unclear implications for the organization, requiring a more formal decision making process.
Limiting factors help rule out many possible choices.
Time and resources are usually major limiting factors to possible decisions. Alternatives are the potential solutions that can be identified after considering the limiting factors. Analyzing the alternatives identifies the consequences, the pros and cons, the advantages and disadvantages for each possible choice. Selecting the best alternative is making the choice that offers the most advantages and the fewest disadvantages. Implementing the decision requires taking action to get results.