ABSTRACT
A decision making uses a feed-forward approach because, if decisions are consistently evaluated, team leaders should be able to assess the level of effectiveness and develop personal lessons-learned which are fed into their future decision-making situations. The decision-making process should ultimately help team leaders select a Course of Action (COA) to achieve one or more goals. In many situations a large influx of information, a lack of clarity about objectives, time-compression, and the consequences of risks may all affect operational team leaders as they search for the most appropriate COA. Specific COAs may require employees with unique technical skill sets, such as installation or operation of equipment, or support personnel who understand ways to obtain needed logistics assets. Communication is a vital part of any operation, and certain COAs may require specific communication resources to be successful and to accomplish the goals of the operational team.
