Decision Making and Problem Solving Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Managers and supervisors, Project managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-PE-011

Before you join: Participants should have experience contributing to workplace decisions, resolving routine issues or advising colleagues, managers or clients.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Managers and professionals are routinely asked to resolve service failures, delivery delays, budget pressures, staffing issues and competing stakeholder demands with incomplete information. Poorly framed problems lead to rushed fixes, repeated incidents and decisions that cannot be explained or defended. Sound judgement requires more than intuition: it requires a disciplined way to define the issue, test assumptions, compare options and act at the right level of risk.

This course develops practical decision-making and problem-solving methods for workplace situations where time, evidence and stakeholder interests must be balanced. Participants learn to distinguish symptoms from root causes, structure ambiguous problems, gather relevant evidence and generate workable options. They apply tools including problem statements, 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, Pareto analysis, decision matrices, cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment. The course also addresses cognitive biases, group decision failures, escalation decisions and communicating a recommendation clearly.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with realistic cases, group exercises, facilitated simulations and individual application planning. Cases reflect decisions commonly faced in public services, financial institutions, NGOs, corporate functions and operational teams. Participants build a personal decision and problem-solving toolkit throughout the programme and leave with completed templates for a current workplace issue. The five-day course is delivered in classrooms in more than 50 cities or live online from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, providing approximately 6.5 contact hours daily. Participants receive a certificate of completion.

The course suits professionals who already contribute to operational, project or people decisions and need a more reliable method for analysing issues and recommending action. It is particularly useful for those moving into supervisory, management, advisory or cross-functional roles.

What you will be able to do

  • Frame ambiguous workplace issues using problem statements, scope boundaries and success criteria
  • Diagnose root causes using 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams and Pareto analysis
  • Gather and test evidence using assumptions logs, data checks and stakeholder input
  • Generate and screen solution options using structured divergent and convergent thinking
  • Compare alternatives using weighted decision matrices, cost-benefit analysis and risk criteria
  • Recognise cognitive biases and group decision traps affecting professional judgement
  • Present evidence-based recommendations using clear decision papers and implementation logic
  • Create an action plan for applying a repeatable problem-solving process at work

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Make recommendations with clearer evidence, assumptions and decision criteria
  • Reduce time spent pursuing symptoms rather than underlying causes
  • Handle conflicting priorities without relying solely on senior opinion
  • Explain difficult decisions confidently to colleagues and stakeholders
  • Build a repeatable method for complex workplace issues

For your organisation

  • Fewer repeated incidents caused by superficial problem diagnosis
  • More consistent decisions between teams, functions and locations
  • Better documented rationale for high-impact operational decisions
  • Faster escalation of issues requiring senior authority or investment
  • Stronger implementation follow-through after decisions are approved

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define a decision or problem clearly before selecting methods or actions.

  • Distinguishing decisions, problems, symptoms, constraints and desired future states
  • Problem statements using current state, target state and measurable gap
  • Scope boundaries established through in-scope, out-of-scope and dependency mapping
  • SMART success criteria for decisions, solutions and implementation outcomes
  • Issue trees separating broad questions into manageable analytical components
  • Cynefin domains used to judge simple, complicated, complex and chaotic situations

Participants can build an evidence base and identify assumptions that affect problem definition.

  • Fact, interpretation, assumption and opinion separated within problem evidence
  • Assumptions log recording owner, confidence level, impact and validation method
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies information holders, affected parties and decision authorities
  • Question funnels move from broad exploration to precise diagnostic questions
  • Data quality checks test source, timeliness, completeness, consistency and relevance
  • Triangulating interviews, records and observations before drawing conclusions

Participants can identify and validate underlying causes rather than treating visible symptoms.

  • 5 Whys traces causal chains beyond the first apparent explanation
  • Fishbone diagrams organise potential causes by people, process, technology and policy
  • Cause-and-effect chains distinguish direct causes, contributing factors and conditions
  • Pareto analysis prioritises high-frequency or high-impact sources of failure
  • Process walk-throughs reveal hand-offs, delays, rework and control weaknesses
  • Root-cause validation tests causal claims against evidence and counterexamples

Participants can break down complex issues and identify patterns requiring action.

  • MECE issue trees structure analysis without overlaps or missing branches
  • Process mapping identifies inputs, decisions, outputs, hand-offs and failure points
  • Trend analysis compares performance patterns over time and operating conditions
  • Segmentation separates results by customer type, location, product or channel
  • Control charts distinguish common-cause variation from special-cause variation
  • Hypothesis-driven analysis focuses investigation on testable explanations and evidence

Participants can create a sufficient range of practical options before narrowing choices.

  • Divergent thinking generates multiple responses before judging their feasibility
  • SCAMPER prompts modifications through substitute, combine, adapt, modify and reverse
  • Benchmarking identifies transferable practices while testing local constraints and differences
  • Option categories cover process, people, policy, technology and supplier responses
  • Minimum viable solutions address immediate risk while longer-term changes develop
  • Constraints analysis identifies budget, authority, capacity, timing and compliance limits

Participants can compare options transparently using agreed criteria, evidence and trade-offs.

  • Decision criteria derived from objectives, constraints, stakeholder needs and risk appetite
  • Weighted decision matrices compare options against agreed scoring criteria
  • Cost-benefit analysis estimates financial, operational and non-financial consequences
  • Sensitivity analysis tests whether rankings change under different assumptions
  • Force-field analysis identifies drivers, barriers and required implementation conditions
  • Trade-off statements explain what each preferred option gains and sacrifices

Participants can make proportionate decisions when information is incomplete and risks differ.

  • Risk registers record likelihood, impact, controls, owner and response actions
  • Risk matrices prioritise threats using stated probability and consequence scales
  • Expected value compares options when probabilities and financial outcomes are known
  • Scenario planning tests decisions against plausible best-case, base-case and worst-case conditions
  • Reversibility distinguishes one-way decisions from decisions that can be adjusted
  • Decision thresholds define when escalation, delay or additional evidence is required

Participants can identify judgement errors and improve the quality of individual and group decisions.

  • Confirmation bias challenged through disconfirming evidence and alternative hypotheses
  • Anchoring effects reduced by independent estimates before group discussion
  • Availability bias checked against base rates, records and representative data
  • Groupthink prevented through dissent roles, anonymous input and structured challenge
  • Pre-mortem analysis identifies likely failure modes before committing resources
  • Red-team review tests recommendations from an informed opposing perspective

Participants can communicate a recommendation, rationale and implementation requirements clearly.

  • Decision papers present issue, evidence, options, recommendation and required authority
  • Pyramid Principle structures messages from conclusion to supporting evidence
  • Stakeholder messages address differing concerns, benefits, risks and requested actions
  • RACI matrices assign responsibility, accountability, consultation and information duties
  • Implementation plans sequence actions, milestones, resources, controls and review points
  • Benefits measures track whether agreed actions resolve the original problem

Participants can apply the full method to a current workplace issue and plan next actions.

  • Personal decision habits assessed against evidence, bias, risk and consultation practices
  • Current workplace issue framed using scope, stakeholders, objectives and constraints
  • Method selection matches problem characteristics, urgency and available information
  • Decision log captures rationale, assumptions, evidence, authority and review date
  • After-action reviews identify outcomes, lessons, adjustments and unresolved questions
  • Application plan schedules first actions, sponsor discussions and progress checkpoints

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Problem definition and scope template
  2. Root cause analysis worksheet
  3. Assumptions and evidence log
  4. Weighted decision matrix template
  5. Risk assessment and escalation checklist
  6. Workplace decision application plan

Who should attend

  • Managers and supervisors — make defensible operational and people decisions
  • Project managers — resolve delivery issues and select workable response options
  • Business analysts — define problems clearly before recommending process changes
  • Team leaders — address recurring performance, quality and service failures
  • Policy and programme officers — assess evidence, trade-offs and stakeholder impacts
  • Technical specialists — present practical recommendations to non-technical decision makers

Skills and tools covered

Problem framingRoot cause analysisEvidence evaluationOption appraisalRisk-based judgementDecision communication

Tools and standards

5 Whys, Fishbone Diagram, Pareto Analysis, Weighted Decision Matrix

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings to introduce each method, followed by case work based on realistic operational and management decisions. Participants practise framing issues, analysing causes, assessing evidence and comparing options in small groups. Facilitated simulations examine time pressure, incomplete information, stakeholder disagreement and escalation choices. Individual application planning links the methods to a current work issue. Instructor feedback focuses on the quality of reasoning, use of evidence, clarity of recommendation and practicality of proposed action.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience contributing to workplace decisions, resolving routine issues or advising colleagues, managers or clients. They should be comfortable discussing a real operational, project, service or people-related problem from their work. No formal qualification in management, statistics, finance or business analysis is required. Advanced mathematics is not needed; the course uses practical calculations for prioritisation, cost-benefit comparison and risk assessment. Participants do not need prior knowledge of 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, Pareto charts or decision matrices.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should have experience of workplace decisions, operational issues or project challenges. No formal management qualification, advanced mathematics or previous training in decision tools is required.

Participants should bring details of one current or recent workplace problem that they can discuss without sharing confidential information. A laptop is useful for live online delivery, while course materials are provided for both delivery formats.

The course is designed for managers, supervisors, project professionals, analysts, advisers and technical specialists. It is most useful for people who must recommend action, resolve recurring issues or coordinate decisions involving several stakeholders.

Critical thinking courses focus mainly on reasoning and evaluating arguments, while business analysis courses often focus on requirements, processes and change initiatives. This course concentrates on the end-to-end workplace process of defining a problem, finding causes, comparing options and communicating a decision.

Participants leave with templates for problem framing, root cause analysis, option appraisal, risk assessment and decision communication. These can be used for service incidents, project delays, process failures, staffing decisions and improvement proposals.

The programme contains ten modules of approximately three contact hours, taught in sequence over five days. Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and includes approximately 6.5 contact hours, with time for instruction, case work, group discussion and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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