4 decision-making diagrams for remote teams

Reading the room

On the surface, it may seem that remote teams are at an unfair disadvantage compared to their in-person counterparts, particularly when it comes to making decisions as a team. Interactions happen less spontaneously when working remotely, and non-verbal cues are missed. This makes it tricky to “read the room”, to gauge everyone’s reactions and build consensus in the team.

On the other hand, making decisions as a remote team can be highly rewarding and valuable in itself. It’s less about trying to read your colleague’s poker face, and more about coming to well-informed decisions that are documented clearly. It can also be dynamic and inspiring, depending on the decision-making method you use, and how well-established decision-making processes are in your team.

In this blogpost, we’ll be taking the guesswork out of decision-making. We’ll look at how certain diagram types facilitate making those crucial decisions as a distributed team.

RACI Chart

RACI charts, (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed), are used to clarify and define roles and responsibilities within a project or process. The roles are broken down as follows:

1. Responsible: The person(s) who perform the task or work.
2. Accountable: The person who is ultimately answerable for the task or decision, ensuring the task is completed and making executive choices.
3. Consulted: Those whose opinions are sought, typically subject matter experts, with whom there is two-way communication.
4. Informed: Those who are kept updated on progress (this usually requires one-way communication).

By mapping out these roles in a RACI chart that you and your team can refer back to time and time again helps prevent confusion and overlaps in responsibilities. This in turn ensures better communication and clearer accountability throughout your project.

What’s more, building your RACI charts in draw.io for Confluence means they live inside of the documentation they relate to. This is particularly useful for providing context in the Confluence page that informs colleagues on things like, for example:

• Why you have created a RACI chart in the first place;
• How to consult the RACI chart when decisions need to be made;
• The reasons why team members were categorized as responsible, accountable, etc.

The finalized RACI Chart, embedded in the Confluence page

Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is designed to assist you with time management and prioritizing your tasks effectively. This is achieved by using the framework to evaluate tasks based on their importance and urgency, making your approach to your to-do list more systematic and efficient.

For more information on the Eisenhower matrix and how to use this, see our blogpost, 3 Infographics to boost productivity.

Decision tree

Decision trees are used to facilitate decision-making by mapping out various courses of action and their potential outcomes. Ultimately, it helps identify which strategy will most likely get you to your desired goal.

Each branch of the tree represents a possible decision or event, and subsequent branches show the consequences of those decisions. This in turn helps you weigh your options, understand potential impacts on your decision, and assess probabilities in different scenarios.

Use our DnD-themed decision tree above for inspiration, or use our decision tree template to quickly start building your own diagram:

SWOT analysis

SWOT analysis or SWOT matrix helps a business assess the competition and identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The approach involves assessing your competitors in light of the four quadrants, specifically:

• Strengths: Internal characteristics that provide the business or project with a competitive edge.
• Weaknesses: Internal factors that put the business or project at a disadvantage compared to others.
• Opportunities: External elements that the business or project can leverage for potential gain.
• Threats: External factors that could pose challenges or risks to the business or project.

Particularly useful for project planning, SWOT analysis helps you in the first stages of the decision-making process in order to evaluate your own strategic edge compared to other businesses of your kind. It may help you identify or cull your next project idea, or identify a gap in the market your competitors haven’t yet spotted.

Making crucial decisions

The next time you and your team are faced with a critical choice to make, consult these decision-making templates and methodologies to ensure your ideas are fully thought through, and you are able to reach a decision effectively, and one that is robust and based on careful planning and team input.

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