Ask HN: web-based decision making software?

[snitko]

In our team we occasionally have to discuss some applications and make approval decisions about them. We currently use ReSubj to keep track of it, but it gets really hard to keep discussion in one place, decision making conditions in another (which is our heads) and send responses through our mail client. Not talking about deadlines and replies from the applicants.

I've checked google for 'decision making software' and found some applications, none of which are fully web-based and none of which provide outside world integration (i'm talking about generating web-forms and automated actions on each decision making step - for example sending email responses constructed out of templates). To summ it up, what we need is: tools to receive the issues, a set of tools to host the discussion (not just stupid post/comment thing, we need it more like google wave), rules and conditions that trigger automated decisions and, finally, tools that talk to the outside world when decision has been made.

So, we are now thinking about implementing our own little software. The big question is if it's worth trying to make it more than just internal tool? Do you think businesses and teams would like to buy this sort of thing?

[apsurd]

To answer your last question, I think you are way-over-thinking the problem. But hey, I'm just one guy with an opinion.

Personally, I don't know why I would need all of the stuff you described just to make a decision. Think about it this way. If the decision was a significant one, it would be embedded in your thought process, you would not be able to forget about it. If it isn't, then there's no use spending all that time on it.

Anyway, Fogbugz comes to mind. It's not a decision maker per say, but its a tracker. I love fogbugz and actually the new version 7 allows you to easily add custom fields, so you can probably add some poll features. Fogbugz is good because the premise is simple. Track bugs so you don't forget about them, and collaborate with your team to manage the fix. Making decisions possibly has a similar worklflow. Check them out. Track bugs/Track decisions : Fogbugz!

[snitko → apsurd]

I didn't mean it's a tool to make one big decision. In that case, yes, it'd be natural to keep all the stuff you need in your mind. I meant that it's more like lots of small, but important decisions - as if you are approving YC applications. Imagine the flow of the applications they have and I guess it gets obvious that you need at least a set of rules to handle these.

[yrashk → snitko]

bug tracker is indeed probably a solution for this kind of problem :)

[snitko → yrashk]

Don't forget that the tool we're using now is actually a lot like bug tracker. I am absolutely sure we don't need another one.

[yannis]

This is one hacker's way of decision making (as an example choosing a final employee from interviews):

1.0 Start with the first interview

2.0 If short-list keep CV on your desk

3.0 Second interview, if better than previous swap with first one. First one gets regret letter.

4.0 Next interview repeat steps 2 to 3.

Essentially you reduce the number of choices at any time to two. You can do the same for almost any problem where you are faced with more than two choices and at the same time you are disciplining your self to make quick decisions.

If you need to make decisions as a group you can still follow the same procedure as above, perhaps with each one giving a small talk as to why he is making a choice and then vote. Think you are determining MAX from a list! YOU are the software!

[michael_dorfman]

Make your internal tool, and use it for a while. See how it works, and then decide if you can generalize it to a larger market.

No sense in putting the cart before the horse.

[snitko → michael_dorfman]

I think it makes sense to just collect the opinions. What if there's also something we don't know about, that we should use instead?

[jacquesm → snitko]

For complicated stuff I use a regular outline editor and assign scores to the 'trees' and their leaves and then sort leaves and substrees by score.

I never got around to writing software to do it for me but the application is pretty narrow, and the question sets change with every job.

I know it sounds like overkill but it helps me to just shut out the view of the rest of the factors while weighing a smaller section. I've used this method with some success during complicated technical due dilligences. There are usually up to a few hundred questions from several categories that all come together in a single executive summary that should not run beyond a single page.

The 'recommendations and conclusions' section is the most important of this and lots of stuff doesn't make the cut in an explicit way but has to be represented somehow. Especially if the advise is not clear cut (this fortunately does not happen often but it has occurred).

Others than make the decision to go ahead or not in part on the information in this document, so it had better be weighted correctly.

I'm not sure if that is the kind of input you are looking for, but if it doesn't help I hope it doesn't hurt either :)

Best of luck with your search, if you find something outstanding please be sure to post it here.

[snitko → jacquesm]

Thank you. Got a few questions though. Do you discuss questions with others? Do you make decisions yourself while others are just consultants?

[jacquesm → snitko]

The list of questions was compiled over the years, every time I do a dd for a company that is not comparable to one that I've done before I discuss what needs to be added with my employers to make sure that we don't miss something crucial. The actual questions are mine though, they guide the direction.

Another reason why the question sets are changed is because of changes in technology (for instance, the appearance of the 'cloud' phenomenon has caused a whole slew of questions to be added).

Most of this centers around the analysis of the risk an investor takes when buying all or part of a company, and how that risk can be mitigated, or at least reduced.

I do make decisions but on a much lower level (<50K) and of a much simpler nature, usually those are made by myself and my partner and we are much more informal, we also don't need to report our decisions to shareholders or such.