CONTENTS

1.0 Proposal Overview

2.0 Assignment Details

2.1. Proposal Heading

2.2. Proposed Organization

2.3. Proposed Decision Maker

2.4 Proposed Decision Task

2.5 Proposed Criteria

2.6 Proposed Options

1.0 PROPOSAL OVERVIEW

The Proposal assignment is the first assignment. You must identify a single, focused problem facing a business, non-profit organization, or other third-party. You may work with a for-profit or not-for-profit organization. You may work with another individual (e.g., an entrepreneur, a fellow student, or a family member). The only restriction (with rare exceptions) is that you cannot work on your own problem. Whoever you work with, you need to identify an important problem, question, or choice that the business, non-profit, or other leader is currently facing and that does not have an obvious answer.

The goal of this assignment is to get your instructor to agree that you've identified a decision task that is likely to work well using multiple criteria decision analysis. You must create and submit at least one proposal (one page in length), but you may submit as many as three proposals for your instructor to review.

You will not be able to continue onto the next assignment (the "Objective") until your instructor has approved a proposal topic. If you provide your instructor with two or three proposals (one page each), that will increase the likelihood that you have identified a feasible and promising topic as soon as possible.

2.0 ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

This text describes in very prescribed ways how you must complete this assignment. After each prescribed item below, you will see in parentheses the typical number of paragraphs (P) needed (e.g., "1-2P" means "1 to 2 paragraphs are typically needed). The outline also indicates when a figure (F) or table (T) is typically needed. Details about how to create and format figures and tables is in the "Helpful Resources" section of the "Overview" chapter.

In each one-page proposal, you must:

1. Proposal Heading. Put your name, email address, and phone number in the upper left-hand corner of the first page.

2. Proposal Organization. Give the name and a description of the organization, if applicable. (1P or less)

3. Proposal Decision Maker. Give the name and a description of a third-party (i.e., not you and not the instructor) decision maker or decision maker group. (1P or less)

4. Proposal Decision. Describe one specific future decision that the decision maker or decision making group must make and explain why that decision is important and indicate when in the future the decision is needed. (1P or less)

5. Proposal Criteria. List and describe briefly three or four measurable evaluation criteria that you think are likely to be relevant and important to the decision maker or decision making group. (1P or less)

6. Proposal Options. List and describe three or four promising options that you think could help the decision maker or decision making group to answer or solve the decision task. (1P or less)

To submit your assignment, follow the assignment submission instructors provided to you by your instructor in the course syllabus or on the course site of your institution's learning management system.

2.1. Proposal Heading

Put your name, official university email address, and phone number in the upper left-hand corner of the page in single-spaced text. This information will be useful in case your instructor needs to contact you. In the next assignment (i.e., the "Objective"), you will move this information to a title page.

It is best to use a common font type (e.g., Times New Roman, Calibri, or Cambria) and an easily-readable font size (e.g., 12 point) for most of your text. You can use a larger font size for section headings. As noted in the "Resources" section, footnotes should be in a smaller font size (e.g., 11 or 10 point).

2.2. Proposed Organization

In one short thoughtful paragraph, describe the organization or work environment of the decision maker or decision making group. If the decision maker is not associated with an organization, then please provide information about the decision maker's current work environment or situation. The goal is to provide your instructor with useful contextual information so your instructor can help you determine if your proposal makes senses for a multiple criteria decision analysis.

2.3. Proposed Decision Maker

In one short thoughtful paragraph, name and describe the decision maker or decision making group. Focus your description on the aspects that seem most relevant to multiple criteria decision analysis.

2.4 Proposed Decision Task

In one short thoughtful paragraph, describe the decision task that the decision maker or decision making group is facing. Keep in mind that decision tasks that lend themselves to multiple criteria decision analysis usually have the word "best" in them. For example, what is the "best" delivery vehicle for a specific organization to purchase and use in a specific situation? Or, what is the "best" location for a specific business to relocate? Or, what is the "best" product for a specific organization to produce and sell?

Keep in mind that your framing of the decision task matters a lot. A more narrowly framed decision will have a more narrow set of solutions. A more openly framed question will have a more open set of possible solutions. In general, don't frame the decision task more narrowly than the circumstances require. Consider an example:

• Which kind of delivery vehicle is the best for Around Town Delivery, LLC to purchase, a new Toyota Corrola or a new Honda Civic?

The phrasing of this decision includes word "best", but the framing of the question limits the possible options (i.e., one of these two specifically named cars) from the beginning. If the decision maker is open to other possibilities (e.g., a new Mazda 3) then the question has been framed with unnecessary constraints.

How could the above decision be worded more openly? It helps to consider what the decision maker is trying to accomplish rather than how. The experts who write about negotiation say that you should focus on the interests not the positions [1]. So, a more open way to frame the decision might be, "Which kind of delivery vehicle is best for ABC, Inc. to purchase," without listing the options. Another option would be to frame the decision by naming the evaluation criteria. Consider the following:

• Which kind of delivery vehicle is best for Around Town Delivery, LLC to purchase in order to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable deliveries?

• What is the best delivery vehicle for Around Town Delivery, LLC to purchase to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable deliveries?

Also note that details matter. You should probably include in your decision task description the name of the decision maker or decision making group and, if relevant, the name of the organization. For example:

• What is the best delivery vehicle for the John Smith, the owner of Around Town Delivery, LLC to purchase given an anticipated rise of delivery service business?

• What is the best location in Central Kentucky for Around Town Delivery, LLC to locate its business and vehicle maintenance headquarters?

2.5 Proposed Criteria

In one short thoughtful paragraph, describe at least three criteria that you think likely matter to the decision maker or decision making group. The goal here is to identify that there are multiple (i.e., more than one) evaluation criteria that matter. Most decisions involve multiple competing evaluation criteria. For example, suppose a business owner is looking for a new bank credit card. The business owner might say that the credit card interest rate is most important. If so, that is a single criterion, making the analysis and optimization relatively simple. Just compare the interests rates for each card and recommend the card with the lowest rate. But, in most instances, decision makers actually have multiple evaluation criteria or preferences. For example, this business owner might acknowledge that customer service and fraud protection are also important.

2.6 Proposed Options

In one short thoughtful paragraph, describe at least three options that you think could feasibly satisfy the preferences of the decision maker or decision making group. Keep in mind that you are the consultant. A decision maker who already has a good list of options and a good list of evaluation criteria probably doesn't need your help as an analyst. A useful consultant is one who listens carefully to the decision task that the decision maker faces and takes note of the evaluation criteria that are important to the decision maker and then thinks creatively about various options. The goal of this assignment isn't to settle on any particular set of options, but merely to demonstrate that the decision task likely lends itself to additional creative thinking and consideration.

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[1] A position is a particular way of satisfying an interest. A classic example is a situation where there are two chefs and both want the last orange in the kitchen to finish their dishes. Each chef takes the position, "There is just one orange left, I need an orange to finish my dish, therefore I want the orange and you can't have it." The problem in this example is that when both chefs focus on their position (e.g., "I must have that orange!"), it can sometimes mean that important options or solutions are overlooked. If both chefs instead focused on their interests, it would become apparent that one chef needed the juice from the orange and the other chef needed the zest (peal) of the orange. In other words, there was a solution--namely, share the orange--that was obscured because both chefs focused on their positions (i.e., "I must have that orange") rather than their interests (e.g., "I need to finish my dish and to do that I need the juice of an orange."). In negotiation, a "position" is akin to the options in MCDA and the "interests" are akin to the criteria. Fisher, R., Ury, W. L., & Patton, B. 2011. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Penguin.