Method 08 of 08
Wait
Don't decide yet.
What it means
Sometimes uncertainty is so high that making a decision now does not improve the situation.
Waiting can create value: - new information may arrive, - conditions may change, - the problem may disappear, - or a better option may become available.
The important distinction is between deliberately waiting and simply failing to decide.
Best when
- Uncertainty is unusually high.
- Consequences are difficult to predict.
- Waiting is relatively inexpensive.
- New information is likely to emerge.
- The decision remains reversible later.
- Acting now creates more risk than preserving flexibility.
Watch out for
- Calling procrastination strategy.
- Failing to monitor the situation.
- Letting the decision become urgent by accident.
- Leaving people unsure whether anything is happening.
- Avoiding a difficult choice because it is uncomfortable.
How it works
- State why you're waiting.
- Identify what you're waiting to learn.
- Define triggers.
- Set a review point.
- Keep gathering information.
- Decide when conditions change.
Run the decision
Want help holding the process?
A short tool built for wait decisions. It keeps the steps, roles and record straight. It never makes the call for you.
Run this decision →Common traps
- There is no trigger.
- “Let's wait” without a condition is usually procrastination.
- Nobody knows the decision has been postponed.
- Tell affected people.
- Waiting quietly increases downside.
- Some options disappear over time.
- More information will never resolve the uncertainty.
- At some point, uncertainty becomes permanent.
When to switch methods
- Useful information becomes available from specific peopleConsultative →
- Decision becomes low-stakes with equivalent optionsStochastic →
- Decision becomes urgentRe-run The Decider →