The risk matrix

Decision making on the flightdeck revisited

These days CRM (crew resource management) modules have extensive sections devoted to decision making, with the intent of helping pilots and engineers make better decisions.

To briefly recap our earlier article on dynamic decision making – decision quality is a function of assessing and integrating three constantly changing inputs into any decision. Hence decision quality is dependent on continuously assessing the situation that you find yourself in, and its likely future projection; continuously assessing your (often conflicting) goals and the order in which they need to be prioritised; and finally continuously assessing risks in your present situation and any planned future course of action, or chosen inaction, as the case may be.