The experience of successful enterprises shows that achieving high efficiency is impossible without putting things in order in the area of ​​enterprise management. A certain level of management system is required to ensure that decisions made are implemented on time and with proper quality. The quality of the results obtained is a consequence of the quality of the enterprise management system.

Quality management - actions carried out during the creation, operation or consumption of products in order to establish, ensure and maintain the required level of quality. It can also be said that these are methods and activities of an operational nature used to meet quality requirements.

Making management decisions and improving their quality is an important problem.

Quality of management decision- a set of properties that a management decision has that meet, to one degree or another, the needs of successfully resolving the problem. For example, timeliness, targeting, specificity and, in general, efficiency.

Under quality of management decisions it is necessary to understand the degree of its correspondence to the nature of the solved problems of the functioning and development of production systems, the set of solution parameters that satisfy specific consumers and ensure the reality of its implementation. In other words, to what extent does SD ensure further development of the production system in market conditions?

The criterion for the quality of solutions is their practical implementation. In this regard, in the practice of enterprises, an indicator is used that indirectly assesses the quality of management decisions made through the number of decisions made, and it is calculated using the formula:

Кĸ=Рв-Рн/Рп*100, (10.1)

Where Kk is the quality coefficient of management decisions;

Рп - number of management decisions made;

Рв - number of completed management decisions;

Рн is the number of poor-quality decisions made.

Expressed as a percentage, this indicator essentially characterizes the quality of management, although not absolutely, but with a certain degree of inaccuracy.

The essence of quality management lies in the development of management decisions and the subsequent implementation of control actions provided for by these decisions on a specific management object.

A universal scheme for product quality management, proposed by prof. A.V. Glichev, is presented in diagram (10.1):

The scheme consists of six blocks. Factors affecting quality (rectangle in the central part of the diagram) include:

Machine tools, machines, other production equipment;

Professional excellence, knowledge, skills, psychophysical health of workers.

The conditions for quality assurance that frame the rectangle of factors are more numerous. These include:

· the nature of the production process, its intensity, rhythm, duration;

· climatic state of the environment and production premises;

· interior and production design;

· the nature of material and moral incentives;

· moral and psychological climate in the production team;

· forms of organization of information services and level of equipment of workplaces;

· the state of the social and material environment of workers.

The essence of any control lies in the development of control decisions and the subsequent implementation of control actions provided for by these decisions on a specific control object. When managing product quality, the direct objects of management, as a rule, are the processes on which product quality depends. They are organized and take place both at the pre-production stage and at the production and post-production stages of the product life cycle. Control decisions are developed based on a comparison of information about the actual state of the controlled process with its characteristics specified by the control program. Regulatory documentation regulating the values ​​of parameters or indicators of product quality (technical specifications for product development, standards, technical specifications, drawings) should be considered as an important part of the product quality management program.

Product quality management must be carried out systematically, i.e. The enterprise must have a product quality management system, which is an organizational structure that clearly distributes responsibilities, procedures, processes and resources necessary for quality management.

economic sciences

• Shamis Vitaly Alexandrovich, Candidate of Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor
• Omsk Humanitarian Academy

• MAN-MACHINE
• SYSTEM
• MAKING DECISIONS
• QUALITY
• CONTROL

Product quality management refers to actions carried out during its creation, operation or consumption in order to establish, ensure and maintain the required level of product quality. In this case, the direct objects of management are indicators and characteristics of product quality, factors and conditions influencing their level, as well as the processes of formation of product quality at different stages of its life cycle.

• Theoretical aspects of enterprise distribution logistics
• Consideration of some aspects in procurement activities
• Consideration of theoretical aspects of purchasing logistics
• Consideration of the principles of quality management in “Man-machine” systems based on an assessment of the functional state of operators

Product quality management refers to actions carried out during its creation, operation or consumption in order to establish, ensure and maintain the required level of product quality. In this case, the direct objects of management are indicators and characteristics of product quality, factors and conditions influencing their level, as well as the processes of formation of product quality at different stages of its life cycle. The subjects of management are various management bodies and individuals operating at distinct hierarchical levels and implementing quality management functions in accordance with generally accepted principles and methods of management.

In modern conditions, the issues of development and decision-making within the framework of quality management in human-machine systems are becoming relevant. This is due to an increase in the level of uncertainty in the external environment, the presence of bifurcation points, and, consequently, an increase in risk indicators.

Let's consider the main stages of development and decision-making within the framework of quality management in human-machine systems:

• Assessing the level of stability of the external environment (using chaos theory methods);
• Determination of the forecast horizon (using chaos theory methods);
• Forecasting the values ​​of time series that define the indicators of the system under study, including quality indicators taking into account the forecast horizon (using forecasting methods based on one-dimensional or multidimensional time series);
• Development of scenarios for the development of the external environment of the system under study based on the forecasting results and taking into account the forecasting horizon;
• Determination of the control parameters of the system, taking into account the peculiarities of its functioning and type of control;
• Development of management influences using systems theory and systems analysis;
• Implementation of management and ongoing monitoring and control (with recording of results in the database);
• Analysis of the results of management implementation (using data mining methods);
• Development and implementation of corrective measures.

A special place in the development and adoption of management decisions is occupied by the analysis of the stability of the external environment of the system under study. Let's take a closer look at this stage.

Let us highlight the following levels of stability of the external environment:

1. High (this level is characterized by stable development of the external environment, predicted using traditional methods).
2. Medium (trends in the development of the external environment are sufficiently predicted using traditional methods of time series analysis, but when analyzing factors using methods of nonlinear dynamics, it is possible to identify “weak signals” (according to I. Ansoff), which make it possible to predict sudden changes in the external environment).
3. Low (the dynamics of changes in the external environment cannot be predicted using traditional methods of time series analysis; it is only possible to predict general trends in the development of the situation using methods of nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory).

Analysis and forecasting of the stability of the external environment is carried out using polynomial approximation, phase spline portraits and LVQ neural networks. To analyze the stability of the external environment, the following indicators or groups of indicators can be used to characterize the market under study in a separate economic entity: region, district or country:

• indices of main socio-economic indicators;
• indicators characterizing the region’s share in all-Russian main socio-economic indicators;
• indices characterizing the labor activity of the population of the Russian Federation and regions in particular;
• indicators characterizing the standard of living of the population;
• indicators characterizing the environment;
• indicators characterizing the sectoral structure of the gross regional product;
• indicators characterizing the activities of enterprises and organizations;
• indicators characterizing industry in the regions;
• indicators characterizing trade and provision of services;
• indicators characterizing innovation activity;
• indicators characterizing prices and tariffs.

Analysis of the stability of the external environment can be carried out in the short-term mode, taking into account the forecast horizon, and medium-term (long-term) forecasting.

Bibliography

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The quality and price of goods and services provided largely determine the success of companies. In this regard, quality management as a separate type of activity acquires special importance. Quality management refers to the planning, organization, regulation and control of activities to ensure the quality of production and management.

The object of control in quality management is the processes of ensuring the quality of products, goods, and services. There are actually three aspects of quality: conformance quality, design quality, and functional quality (the degree to which customer needs are met). When determining quality, it is necessary to take into account not only the degree of its compliance with technical conditions, but also the process of distribution of goods and after-sales service. Thus, the peculiarity of the control object lies in its complexity and the complexity of quantitative assessment.

The subject of management, i.e. decision makers - enterprise management, specialists from the marketing department, quality control department, sales and supply specialists, managers and specialists of production departments.

The main factors influencing decision making in the field of quality management include the following: ?

specialization (field of activity) of the enterprise; ?

organizational and legal form of the enterprise; ?

normative and methodological support for quality management; ?

availability of a certificate of compliance with standards (GOST, OST, 1BO); ?

established quality management practices; ?

location of the enterprise; ?

goals of the enterprise; ?

degree of centralization of management; ?

corporate culture; ?

organizational structure of the enterprise; ?

personnel qualification level; ?

quality of materials and purchased components (incoming inspection); ?

technical equipment of the enterprise, including the characteristics and capabilities of the equipment; ?

accepted procedures for completing tasks; ?

leadership style and leader experience, etc.

Solutions in the field of quality management and their features. The first step toward quality assurance is making strategic decisions about the design of a product or service to satisfy specific customer needs. There are 180 international quality standards. The fact that a company is certified according to these standards significantly increases the competitiveness of products and enterprises. in general, and also opens up the possibility of entering the international market. Therefore, the development of quality standards in written form is of utmost importance.

Within the framework of the quality management system, the following decisions are made: ?

choosing a quality improvement strategy (more careful control of manufactured products, introducing a more effective control system, purchasing higher quality raw materials, introducing more advanced technology, etc.); ?

formulation of technical conditions (quality requirements); ?

establishing qualitative and quantitative quality parameters; ?

establishing permissible deviations from specified parameters; ?

selection of control methods; ?

appointment of persons responsible for control; ?

solving behavioral problems of quality control, etc.

Features of decisions made in the field of quality management

are that they: ?

directly affect the success of the enterprise in the fierce competition for consumers, retention and conquest of new markets; ?

cover the entire cycle of creation and development of new equipment, serial production of products, sales of goods and after-sales service; ?

must take into account the socio-psychological aspects of management (including motivation); ?

focused on effective control; ?

accepted at all levels of organization management; ?

As a rule, they are reflected in documents.

Decision-making methods in the field of quality management. In table 8.14

Some methods of decision-making in the field of quality management used in the process of implementing specific tasks are presented.

Thus, decision-making in the field of quality management is a determining factor in ensuring the competitiveness of products and the enterprise as a whole, which is very important both at the tactical level and at the strategic level (at the present stage and in the future).

Table 8.14

Methods of decision-making in the field of quality management Tasks "Some methods of decision-making in the field of quality management Planning for the creation of a quality system

Quality control

Quality system development - forecasting methods; -

modeling methods; -

methods of multicriteria evaluation of alternatives -

methods for analyzing management decisions; -

expert assessment methods; -

statistical methods -

methods for generating alternatives; -

methods for multi-criteria evaluation of alternatives Test questions and tasks 1.

How does a manager’s field of activity influence the process of developing and making management decisions? 2.

Describe the decision-making environment in financial management. 3.

What factors influence financial management decisions? 4.

List the features of financial management solutions. 5.

What decision-making methods in the field of financial management do you know? 6.

Describe the decision-making environment in production management. 7.

What factors influence production management decisions? 8.

List the features of production management solutions. 9.

What decision-making methods in the field of production management do you know? 10.

Describe the decision-making environment in personnel management.

I. What factors influence decision-making on personnel management? 12.

List the features of HR management solutions. 13.

What methods of decision-making in the field of personnel management do you know? 14.

Describe the decision-making environment in marketing. 15.

What factors influence marketing decisions? 16.

List the features of marketing management solutions. 17.

What methods of decision-making in the field of marketing management do you know? 18.

Describe the decision-making environment in quality management. 19.

What factors influence quality management decisions? 20.

List the features of quality management solutions. 21.

What methods of decision-making in the field of quality management do you know? 22.

Describe the decision-making environment in information management. 23.

What factors influence information management decisions? 24.

List the features of information management solutions. 25.

What decision-making methods in the field of information management do you know? 26.

Describe the decision-making environment in the management of intellectual assets. 27.

What factors influence decision-making on intellectual asset management? 28.

List the features of solutions for managing intellectual assets. 29.

What methods of decision-making in the field of intellectual asset management do you know? thirty.

Describe the decision-making environment in strategic management. 31.

What factors influence strategic decision making? 32.

List the features of strategic decisions. 33.

What methods of making strategic decisions do you know? 34.

Describe the decision-making environment in innovation management. 35.

What factors influence decision-making on innovation management? 36.

List the features of solutions for managing innovation activities. 37.

What methods of decision-making in the field of innovation management do you know?

St. Petersburg Institute of Foreign Economic Relations and Economics

Test

on the topic: “Quality of management decisions”

Discipline: Management decisions

Kaliningrad

Introduction

2. Parameters and conditions for ensuring the quality and effectiveness of management decisions

3. Conditions for making the right management decision

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

The importance of problems associated with decision-making attracts the attention of a wide range of scientists and practitioners. Decision making is a systematized process. The relevance of the topic of this work is due to the fact that decision making is an integral part of the management process, the center around which the life of the organization revolves. Many years of decision-making experience boiled down only to the manager’s intuitive reliance on his experience. But the responsibility for making organizational decisions is great, because the fate of the organization itself and its individual members may depend on an individual decision in an organization. Therefore, a leader in today's complex and rapidly changing world cannot make ill-considered decisions. A manager who makes certain management decisions must combine certain qualities: the art of analyzing situations, deep professional knowledge, techniques and methods of decision-making, professional skills in working with people.

Decision making is inherent in any type of activity, and the performance of one person, a group of people or the entire people of a certain state may depend on it. From an economic and managerial point of view, decision making should be considered as a factor in increasing production efficiency. Production efficiency, naturally, in each specific case depends on the quality of the decision made by the manager.

The crisis in the quality of management decisions (MD) at all levels of government and business is closely related to the country’s existing approaches to building management systems and the level of training of managers and specialists in higher educational institutions.

Ubiquitous management systems based on hierarchical linear-functional structures (ILFS), preserved since pre-war times, are one of the main reasons for the low efficiency of management of government bodies, large enterprises and corporations, social protection systems, etc. Simultaneously with the reproduction of low-quality SD, they “kill” any initiative from below, turning a person into a “cog” of a state or economic machine. It was precisely for the mass production of “cogs” specialists, and not professionals, that the systems of upbringing and education in the USSR were designed and created at one time. Mamin B.V. “Creative” teams are the key to improving the quality of management decisions and reforming enterprises // Director’s Consultant. - 2002. - No. 10.

In a market economy with fierce competition, the transition to the concept of scientific management, focused on achieving competitiveness by improving the quality of management work, ensures the survival of the organization. Those who do not want to work efficiently go bankrupt. Every year, from 8 to 12% of firms in industrialized countries go bankrupt due to poor management quality.

In modern conditions, the most pressing issue is the formation of such solutions that would be the most effective. For this purpose, methodological recommendations are being developed for the formation of both effective decisions and the general concept of making management decisions under modern economic conditions.

In this regard, this work poses target give a general concept of decision making, explore the main provisions of the theory of decision making, including the concept of “managerial decision”, methods of their formation and evaluation, summarize the methodological norms that a manager in an organization must follow in order to make quality decisions, act more rationally and systematically, so that its decisions are the most effective.

1. Management decision and its quality

A decision is called managerial if it is developed and implemented for a social system and is aimed at:

1. strategic planning of the organization’s activities;

2. management of management activities;

3. human resource management (activation of knowledge, skills);

4. management of production and service activities;

5. formation of the company’s management system (methodology, structure, process, management mechanism and technical support);

6. management consulting;

7. management of internal or external communications.

The term “managerial decision” is used in two main meanings - as a process and as a phenomenon. As a process, a management decision is the implementation of eight main procedures: information preparation, development of options, coordination of options, selection of one option, approval, implementation, monitoring the implementation of a management decision and informing the initiator of the decision.

As a phenomenon, a management decision is a set of measures aimed at resolving the problem under consideration in the form of a resolution, an order, verbally or in writing.

Quality is a set of characteristics of an object related to its ability to satisfy the established or expected needs of a person or society. Quality is assessed by functional suitability, performance characteristics, degree of safety and reliability, etc. A sign of good quality is the presence of confirming certificates issued by reputable companies or individuals.

The quality of management activities is the degree of compliance with generally accepted requirements or standards. Usually, the quality of management activities is judged by the quality of management decisions. The quality of products is influenced not only by the technical level of production, the state of the economy and production organization, but also by the professionalism and culture of management decisions.

Insufficient attention to the methodology and process of management reduces the enormous efforts aimed at the production process itself, since management decisions can ruin the effective use of the most modern technology.

The quality of a management decision (hereinafter referred to as DM) is the degree of compliance of the DM with the internal requirements (standards) of the organization. When developing and implementing SD, the manager must pay attention to each stage of the process of developing and implementing SD. The quality of each stage makes a significant contribution to the overall assessment of the quality of the entire SD. Quality is measured in relative units from 0 to 1. The lowest quality of the SD is assigned the value 0, and the highest - 1. The overall quality of the SD is calculated as the product of the quality values ​​of all its constituent stages, stages and operations performed sequentially.

Example. Each UR requires the sequential implementation of eight procedures. Let's consider the simplest case, when each procedure has only one operation. In this case, the values ​​of the quality of the procedures were assessed by the following values:

Information training - 0.8;

Development of SD options - 0.7;

Coordination of options - 0.8;

Selecting one option - 0.7;

Approval of SD option - 0.8;

Implementation of SD - 0.7;

Execution control - 0.7;

Informing - 0.8.

The quality value of each operation itself is good. However, the overall quality of the SD will be equal to 0.098! This is a very low level.

Therefore, only with a professional attitude towards all components of the process of development and implementation of SD can one ensure acceptable quality of the entire SD.

The quality of the process of preparing and implementing SD is significantly influenced by: information, a set of management goals, methods for developing SD, a set of objects included in the conceptual model of the company, the management technology used, the selected property of the development process of SD, the form of submission of SD, organizational audit of SD. In addition to the elements already considered, it is necessary to add system-wide elements: laws of management and organization, laws for organizations. It is within the framework of these laws that the process of preparation and implementation of SD is carried out. All of the listed elements must enhance each other’s action, that is, form a system.

The quality of a management decision can be considered from the organizational, economic, social, technological, psychological, legal, environmental, ethical, political and party aspects. Each of these components has its own rules, norms, regulations or standards (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Main components of the quality of a management decision

Each component of SD quality contributes to the overall quality (Table 1).

Great importance in improving the quality of the SD preparation process and the effectiveness of real results from its implementation is given to the organizational side. It includes, first of all, the creation of a creative team. The leader must create stimulating conditions for the effective work of the team. These conditions include:

1. creating a creative environment during the preparation of SD;

2. providing developers with complete and timely information;

3. use of modern information technologies;

4. professionally conducting a brainstorming session in a team of developers and recording the results obtained;

5. use of the experience and knowledge of the most professional specialists in the task at hand;

A management decision is a product of managerial work, and its adoption is a process leading to the appearance of this product. Decision making is a conscious choice from available options for a course of action that allows you to achieve an existing goal. A decision is the form in which the control influence of the subject of management on the object of management is carried out. Therefore, the quality of management decisions is a criterion for the effectiveness of a manager.

The solution must meet a number of requirements. The main ones are validity, clarity of formulation, real feasibility, timeliness, economy, efficiency (the degree to which the goal is achieved in comparison with the expenditure of resources).

As a rule, decisions should be made where a problem situation arises; For this, managers at the appropriate level must be given the appropriate powers, at the same time assigning them responsibility for the state of affairs at the managed facility. A very important condition for the positive impact of a decision on the work of an organization is its consistency with those decisions that were made earlier (both vertically and horizontally of management (here, of course, we do not mean the case when the task is to radically change the entire development policy) .

An organization makes a large number of different decisions. They vary in content, duration and development, focus and scale of impact, level of adoption, information availability, etc. Using classification, we can identify classes of decisions that require a different approach to the process and methods of their adoption, are not the same in terms of time spent, and others resources (Table 1).

Table 1

Classification of decisions made in an organization

Programmable solutions are solutions to recurring and well-defined problems. As a rule, these are standard tasks that arise repeatedly in the organization, about which there is sufficiently reliable and reliable information, as well as ready-made, developed and previously successfully applied rules and procedures. The procedure establishes the order, sequence of actions, rights, and responsibilities of participants in the interaction in the decision-making process. An example is the task of placing a periodic order of inventory for one of the workshops of an enterprise. To develop and optimize programmable solutions, formalized methods are used that have a clear algorithm for solving the problem in the form of economic and mathematical models, methods of data analysis and calculation, and computer programs that provide high accuracy of quantitative assessment of the developed options.

Non-programmable solutions involve new, complex, never-before-seen, unconventional, unforeseen problems that cannot be accurately quantified. As a rule, they are difficult to define and structure; they are characterized by an unclear formulation of the goal, inaccuracy and uncertainty of information, and the lack of clear rules and decision procedures. When developing non-programmable solutions, heuristic methods are used. They are characterized by the fact that the development of alternative solutions is based not on precise calculations, but on logic, judgment and inference. In this case, professional knowledge, a high level of qualifications, and creative abilities of specialists in various fields are used. Non-programmable decisions include decisions related to defining goals and formulating an organization’s development strategy, changing its structure, forecasting work in new markets, etc. The number of such decisions increases as the scale and complexity of the organization grows, and the dynamism and uncertainty of its external environment increases. .

Intuitive decisions are choices made only based on a feeling that they are right. The decision maker does not weigh the pros and cons of each alternative; he does not evaluate the situation, but relies on insight and feeling. Intuition involves hunches, imagination, insight, or thoughts that often manifest themselves spontaneously in conscious awareness of a problem and subsequent decision making. An intuitive approach can work well when analyzing time-sensitive problems in situations where goals are difficult to define, information is imprecise, and quantification is impossible.

Judgment-based decisions are choices driven by knowledge and experience. A person uses knowledge of what has happened in similar situations before and predicts the outcome of an alternative choice. There is a danger here of missing a new alternative, since the manager is guided by old experience in solving similar problems.

Rational decisions do not depend on past experience. The process of their adoption involves choosing an alternative that will bring maximum benefits to the organization. The search for the best solution is underway. The procedure for making a rational decision includes seven successive stages:

1) definition of the problem;

2) formulation of restrictions and decision-making criteria;

3) identification of alternatives;

4) evaluation of alternatives;

5) choice of alternative;

6) implementation of the decision;

7) feedback.

Definition of the problem. A necessary condition for decision making is the problem itself: if there were no problems, there would be no need for solutions. Problems are usually of three types: favorable, crisis and ordinary.

Crisis and normal are clear issues that need to be addressed by managers.

Favorable ones, on the contrary, are usually veiled, and the manager must detect them.

Because most crisis and routine problems by their nature require immediate attention, a manager may spend a lot of time dealing with them and not have time to deal with important new favorable problems.

Many well-managed organizations try to look away from crisis and routine issues and toward longer-term issues by setting long-term goals, strategies, and planning programs.

The first phase of problem definition is awareness of the symptoms of failure or existing opportunities. These symptoms are:

1) low profits, sales, labor productivity, product quality;

2) high production and distribution costs;

3) numerous conflicts in the organization, high staff turnover, low motivation and dedication of staff. The second phase of diagnosing a problem is determining the causes of the problems.

The next step is to rank the problem among other problems. The ranking can be based on the following factors:

1) impact on the organization;

2) urgency of the problem and time constraints;

3) support for the problem from the outside in favor of its solution;

4) problem life cycle.

Formulation of restrictions and decision criteria.

At this stage, resources for implementing the solution are taken into account. They must be realistic. Limiters can be time limits for developing and solving a problem, the amount of funds allocated for this, and parameters for the effectiveness of achieving goals. In addition to limitations, the manager also determines the standards by which alternative choices must be evaluated. These are decision criteria. They have different content and form. The criteria are most fully developed for programmable solutions, where the use of quantitative analysis methods and electronic data processing is possible.

The application of economic and mathematical methods to solving management problems makes it possible to use a target function as a selection criterion, which usually needs to be maximized or minimized; Therefore, such a choice is called optimization. Examples of optimization criteria include: maximizing profits, income, productivity, efficiency; minimization of costs, losses from defects or downtime, etc. The optimal solution is selected based on a comparison of the quantitative value of the objective function for all possible options; The best solution is considered to be the one that provides the most desirable value of the target criterion. An example of such solutions is optimization of equipment loading, warehouse stocks, cutting of materials, etc.

To evaluate options for semi-structured solutions, a system of weighted criteria is used. The possibilities of this approach to choosing the best option can be demonstrated with a simple example. Let's say an organization is faced with the problem of choosing a supplier of the necessary materials. Several such companies were discovered, and during preliminary negotiations all of them agreed to cooperate with this organization. However, they offer different terms regarding supplies, prices, discounts, etc. The most suitable supplier needs to be identified. To do this, a comparative analysis of the proposed options is carried out with a focus on the most significant criteria for the consumer organization. Let us assume that in this case the following criteria are chosen:

1) price per unit of supplied material;

2) the size of the minimum supplies;

3) conditions for providing discounts and benefits;

4) quality of material;

5) geographical location of the supplier company;

6) the status of the latter.

In terms of their significance for the organization, they are not the same, so they must be “weighed” against the main criterion. Let the price for the supplied material be determined for these, and it is given a maximum numerical rating, for example, 10. The rest are evaluated by comparison with the highest rating (Table 2), as a result of which they are assigned the weights indicated in the table.

table 2

Weighting criteria

In particular, attention should be paid to the fact that the organization attaches the same importance to the geographical location of the supplier company as to the price of the supplied material. This is due to high transport tariffs for freight transportation. It is also clear from the table that the organization in question is not very concerned about the minimum size of supplies and does not attach much importance to the status of the supplier, although it still takes it into account when selecting. All possible solution options are evaluated based on selected and weighted criteria. Conventionally, four supplier companies are considered, which are designated as A, B, C, and D. In fact, there may be much more of them, but they are either unknown or not taken into account (for one reason or another). At this stage, a comparative assessment of each company is made for each criterion (the result is presented in Table 3); the maximum score is 10. If we sum up all the scores received by firms for all criteria, then firm A will receive the sum of 40, B - 38, C - 34 and firm D - 37.

However, it is too early to make a final decision. It is necessary to take into account the different “weight category” of each criterion and only after that can the company be determined which will be preferred. The results of this stage are presented in Table 4, and a somewhat unexpected conclusion follows from them: the highest total scores, significantly ahead, are received by company G, which at the previous stage occupied the penultimate place.

Table 3

Weighing options based on selection criteria

Table 4

Total weighing of options according to selection criteria

The use of this approach is based on the assumption that it is possible to determine all the criteria and decision options, that the priorities are known and that they, like the weights assigned to them, are of a constant nature. Under such conditions, the option with the maximum score is chosen.

Identifying alternatives. Theoretically, it is necessary to identify all possible options for solving a problem, but in practice, a manager rarely has the knowledge and time to do this. Therefore, the number of alternatives for further consideration is limited to a few options that are considered good enough to improve the problem situation. New and unique problems often arise. The choice of alternatives then becomes a complex creative process.

There are many methods for creative search for alternatives, the main purpose of which is to generate ideas: brainstorming, group analysis of the situation, cause-and-effect diagram, morphological analysis, electronic brainstorming method, etc. The task of the manager is to create a creative atmosphere for searching for alternatives .

The conditions for creating such an atmosphere may be:

1) motivation in search;

2) providing all the necessary information to comprehensively understand the problem;

3) free discussion and acceptance of any ideas to solve the problem, excluding criticism of proposals;

4) setting aside time to develop ideas.

Evaluation of alternatives. At this stage, the advantages and disadvantages of the identified options for solving the problem are determined. To compare alternatives, the criteria established in the second stage are used. If a solution does not meet the criterion, it is not considered further. An important point in the assessment is to determine the likelihood of each alternative being realized.

Selecting an alternative or making a decision. The best solution is the one that most closely aligns with the firm's goals and values ​​while using the least amount of resources.

If the problem has been correctly defined and alternative solutions have been carefully evaluated, then decision making is relatively simple.

However, if the problem is new, complex, and there are many probabilistic factors or subjective information to consider, no single choice may be the best.

In this case, you can rely on intuition and experience. You can also resort to experimentation and the use of ready-made solution models for particularly complex situations.

Implementation of the solution. This stage allows you to determine the correctness and optimality of the decision made. To implement the decision, it must be communicated to the implementers. They must receive clear information about who, where, when and in what ways should carry out actions consistent with this decision.

It is necessary to develop a plan for its implementation, which provides for a system of measures to ensure the successful achievement of the goals.

One of the planning mechanisms at this stage may be the so-called decision tree, which allows, by decomposing the selected option, to present a set of goals and objectives to be achieved and solved. A conditional example is this.

Let’s say that in the process of solving the problem of determining the organization’s strategy for the future, the main strategic directions were chosen to ensure the achievement of the goal set by management for a given period: to survive in difficult crisis conditions; maintain and strengthen its position in the market of competitive products; create the preconditions for further intervention in markets, as well as for maximizing the use and expansion of the organization's potential. These directions are formulated as follows:

1) concentrate efforts on the production of competitive products A, B, C, using both domestic and foreign markets for their sales;

2) develop and implement a program of cooperation with other enterprises and organizations directly or indirectly related to the production of products A, B, C, in order to attract equity investments;

3) change the organization’s management system in order to de-bureaucratize it, create the most favorable conditions for the development of creativity and the use of a team structure of work.

Feedback. It is carried out in the form of monitoring the implementation of a decision based on information about the progress of its implementation, measurement, evaluation and comparison of actual results with planned ones.

Control can reveal not only deviations from the planned action plan, but also shortcomings of the solution itself that require timely elimination.

To reduce such shortcomings, the control function should be carried out at all stages of the decision-making process.

This may make it necessary to repeat the procedures of previous steps. Decision making becomes a continuous process.

It does not end with the decision-making stage, the choice of a single option. Feedback provides managers with information that can initiate a new decision-making cycle.

In most organizations, many decisions are made in teams and groups. Managers often face situations that require discussion in meetings. This is especially true for non-programmable problems that are new, complex, and involve great uncertainty in the outcome. Solving such problems by one person is rarely done on a regular basis.

It requires specialized knowledge in a number of areas that one person does not typically possess. This requirement, coupled with the obvious reality that decisions made must be perceived and implemented by many parts of the organization, has increased the use of a team approach to the decision-making process.

There are many methods for group discussion of a problem and decision making. The main ones are: synectics, nominal group method, Delphi method, expert assessment method, consent planning, script writing. Let's take a closer look at synectics.

Synectics is the combination of different elements that do not correspond to each other. As a method, it involves identifying opposing sides or trends in the object under consideration. Great importance is attached to the formulation of the problem. It is believed that premature formulation may hinder the search for original solutions. Therefore, the discussion often begins not with the formulation of the problem, but with identifying the essence of the problem, the fundamental principles of the functioning of a given object or process. This then allows us to move from the general range of problems to the study of the specific conditions of a given problem.

During a “sinector attack,” constructive criticism is allowed. The main creative techniques used in synectics are various types of analogies: direct, personal, symbolic and fantastic.

With direct analogy, the problem or object under consideration is compared with similar problems or objects from another field (biology, technology, medicine, etc.). For example, if the problem of adaptation is being solved, then one can easily draw a parallel with a chameleon changing color, etc. In a personal analogy, the participants in the “synector attack” try to get used to the problem or object, merge with it, look at it from the inside in order to to better understand the conditions and mechanism of action.

With a symbolic analogy, a concise semantic formulation is selected in the form of a brief definition that reflects the essence of the problem under consideration. For example, flame is visible heat, strength is forced integrity, etc. With a fantastic analogy, the developer introduces into the problem being solved some fantastic creatures or objects (for example, a magic wand or Aladdin's magic lamp) that could accomplish what is required according to the conditions of the task. Thus, with the help of analogies, developers try, when solving a complex, extraordinary problem, to see what is already known in the unknown, which allows them to use familiar methods. If a common problem is being solved, then an analogy allows you to avoid stereotyped thinking and look at the problem from a new, unexpected angle and find an original solution.

Synectics is a more developed and complex method of creative group activity, the goal of which is to formulate a solution. The synectic group is formed from researchers trained in creative work methods, who are highly qualified specialists from different professions or different disciplines.

The age of the participants does not matter, but experience has shown that the most suitable for “synectors” are people aged 25–40 years. It is believed that before the age of 25 a person does not have sufficient experience, and after 40 he is no longer so receptive to new ideas.

Members of a synectic group must be distinguished by creative maturity, rich imagination and fantasy, independence and unbiased opinions, the ability to take risks, the ability to abstract from habitual judgments, think outside the box and highlight the essence of a phenomenon, be uninhibited and free in their thoughts, favorably perceive other people’s ideas, and be able to stop development ideas found in order to look for new ones, be focused and believe in the possibility of solving the problem. Experience shows that the formation of a synectic group can take a whole year. It is created on an ongoing basis, as opposed to groups organized for a short-term period, to solve any complex problems that arise in the organization.

She works full time for the time it takes to solve the problem. The group is led by an experienced specialist who is well versed in synectics techniques. The main task of a synectic team is to use the experience and knowledge from different areas of the team members to generate ideas and develop possible solutions.