How Do You Make Decisions Without All the Information

How to answer this question

• 1Separate what you know from what you are assuming — most bad decisions treat assumptions as facts.
• 2Identify what information is actually available in the time you have.
• 3Assess the cost of waiting versus the cost of acting on good but incomplete information.
• 4Move decisively once you have enough — document your reasoning either way.
• 5Show comfort with uncertainty without being reckless about it.

Example answer

I start by separating what I know from what I am assuming. Then I identify what information is actually available in the time I have and what the cost of waiting for more is. When I had to make a sourcing decision without complete supplier data, I ranked the options on the criteria I had confidence in and moved on the best available choice. I documented the reasoning so we could learn from it either way.