ABSTRACT

Planning under Pressure offers managers, planners, consultants and students a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the Strategic Choice Approach, which has gradually been attracting worldwide recognition as a fresh, versatile and practical approach to collaborative decision-making under uncertainty.
Starting from basic principles, the book uses helpful diagrams and clear explanations to demonstrate practical ways of approaching daunting decision problems; of devising possible ways forward; and of working effectively towards agreed courses of action. Along he way, decision makers are helped to cope with diverse sources of uncertainty – technical, political, managerial – in a strategic manner.
In this extended third edition, the authors have added short contributions from 21 users from seven countries. These new contributors present lessons from their varied experiences in adapting the Strategic Choice Approach to guide decision-making and learning in settings ranging from the re-routing of a controversial city carnival procession to national policy for the management of nuclear waste.

part |66 pages

Learning from others

chapter |5 pages

Controversy on the Streets

Stakeholder workshops on a choice of carnival route

chapter |5 pages

Communicative Learning, Democracy and Effectiveness

Facilitating private – public decision-making in Sweden

chapter |4 pages

Delving into the Toolboxes

National environmental policy-making and strategic choice

chapter |3 pages

Less is More

Controlling decision complexity when using strategic choice

chapter |4 pages

Feet on the Ground

Engaging planning students with political realities

chapter |3 pages

Designing Electronic Support

Empowering decision-makers through software for strategic choice

chapter |5 pages

Neighbourhood Renewal in Rome

Combining strategic choice with other design methods

chapter |4 pages

Fast Forward with Strategic Choice

Mutual consulting for small enterprise development

chapter |5 pages

The Plutonium Predicament

Managing conflict through strategic action planning

chapter |4 pages

Dealing with the Dumps

Using decision areas and levels in developing national policy for used tyres

chapter |5 pages

Cross-organisational Learning

Sharing insights from managing major construction projects

chapter |4 pages

Capacity Building in Venezuela

Using strategic choice methods with policy-makers and students

chapter |4 pages

Differential Learning

Managing different rates of progress between participants in extensive projects

chapter |4 pages

Building Commitment in a Rural Community

Use of commitment packages in empowerment through information technology

chapter |4 pages

Commitment is the Key

Building inter-agency agreement over the future of an historic estate 1