FMEA-APFailure Mode and Effects Analysis with Action Priority: a structured way to find possible failures and rank which ones to fix first.Failure Mode and Effects Analysis – Action PriorityFMEA-APEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failure_mode_and_effects_analysis1

Six SigmaA data-driven method for reducing defects and variation in processes.Six SigmaEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Sigma

LeanA way of improving processes by removing waste and focusing on what creates value for the customer.LeanEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing1

Definition of DoneAn agreed standard for when a piece of work counts as complete. The term comes from Agile/Scrum.Definition of DoneEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(project_management)

Paper TigerSomething that looks strong but is weak in practice. Here it means a plan that won't survive implementation.paper tiger, paper tigersEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_tiger

Engineer-to-OrderA manufacturing term for products custom-designed for each order. SchellingPoint uses it to say every group decision is one of a kind.engineer-to-order, engineer to orderEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer_to_order

Delphi method / Nominal group technique / Bounded rationalityEstablished group-decision techniques (Delphi, nominal group) and a decision theory (bounded rationality).Delphi method, nominal group technique, bounded rationalityEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi_method

HeuristicA mental shortcut or rule of thumb used to make decisions quickly.heuristic, heuristicsEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heuristic

Positive DevianceFinding people who get unusually good results with the same resources as everyone else, and learning from what they do.Positive DevianceEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_deviance

ConsensusGeneral agreement within a group. It is different from alignment, which is the willingness to act together.consensusEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consensus_decision-making

Systems ThinkingLooking at a problem as a whole system of connected parts rather than as separate pieces.Systems ThinkingEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_thinking

Latent failure modesHidden weaknesses that stay invisible until they cause a failure later.latent failure modes, latent failure modeEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failure_mode_and_effects_analysis

Forgetting curveThe well-documented drop in how much people remember after training, unless the learning is reinforced.forgetting curveEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgetting_curve

Ad Hominem FallacyJudging an argument by who made it rather than by its merits.Ad Hominem Fallacy, Ad HominemEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem

Zero-sum / non-zero-sumZero-sum: one side's gain is the other side's loss. Non-zero-sum: all sides can gain (or lose) together. SchellingPoint's research covers non-zero-sum situations.non-zero-sum, zero-sumEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-sum_game

Game TheoryThe study of how people make strategic decisions when each person's outcome depends on what the others do.game theoryEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory

Operational ResearchThe discipline of using mathematical and analytical methods to find the best decisions. In the US it is called operations research.Operations research (US)Operational Research, Operations ResearchEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_research

Pareto heuristicThe rule of thumb that about 80% of results come from 20% of causes.Pareto heuristic, 80/20 rule, Pareto principleEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle

Pre-MortemBefore committing, the team imagines the plan has failed and works backward to find out why, which brings unspoken concerns to the surface.Pre-Mortem, Premortem, Pre-Mortems, PremortemsEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-mortem

oBTCOn-Benefit, on-Time, on-Cost: delivering the intended results on schedule and within budget.oBTCSchellingPoint term1

Design GuideThe person who guides a group through designing its goals and actions using Optimal GDM. This can be an internal or external consultant or facilitator.Design Guide, Design GuidesSchellingPoint term1

Schelling ThresholdThe minimum fit, feasibility and alignment a design must reach before a group commits to it.Schelling Threshold, Schelling ThresholdsSchellingPoint term

Best PossibleThe strongest set of goals and actions that the situation allows, which is often better than what the group can see at the start.Best PossibleSchellingPoint termhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_research1

Traditional GDMThe usual ways groups design goals and plans today. (aka Constructive GDM).Traditional GDMSchellingPoint term

System DynamicsA modeling method, developed at MIT, that maps how the parts of a complex system affect each other over time through feedback loops and delays.System Dynamics, Systems DynamicsEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_dynamics

GroupthinkWhen the wish for harmony or conformity in a group overrides critical thinking and leads to poor decisions.GroupthinkEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink

Trips to Abilene (Abilene Paradox)When a group agrees to something almost nobody actually wants, because each person wrongly assumes the others want it.Trips to Abilene, Trip to Abilene, Abilene ParadoxEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abilene_paradox

Prisoner's DilemmaA classic game-theory problem: people acting in their own interest don't cooperate, even though cooperating would leave everyone better off.Prisoner's DilemmaEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma

False positiveA plan that looks sound, logical and convincing in the room but contains significant errors that show up during implementation.false positive, false positivesEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_positives_and_false_negatives

EUDICEUDIC actions by individuals and sub-groups reduce the level of coordinated action required to converge on the stated goals. They are Errant, Unilateral, Delayed, Inaction, and Conflicting Actions.Errant, Unilateral, Delayed, Inaction, and Conflicting ActionsEUDICSchellingPoint term1

Cost of InactionWhat happens if the group does nothing. This is the baseline the sum value of the proposed goals are measured against, net the cost to produce them.Cost of Inaction, Costs of InactionEstablished concepthttps://dictionary.cambridge.org/example/english/cost-of-inaction

oFFAOptimal Fit, Feasibility and Alignment: the point where a plan's goals and actions best balance closest fit, maximum feasibility and sufficient alignment.oFFASchellingPoint term1

Constructive GDMSchellingPoint's label for the traditional way groups design decisions (interviews, workshops, facilitated discussion), based on constructing a design to fill a hole - absence based design - which the research found leaks quality.Constructive GDM, CGDMSchellingPoint term

Optimal GDMSchellingPoint's research-based framework and software for designing the best possible/strongest attainable/mathematically optimal group decisions. Presence-based design, surfacing the optimal design latent in data and knowledge.Optimal Group Decision MakingOptimal GDMSchellingPoint term

Group DesignSchellingPoint's name for an instance of GDM-Design: a group jointly designing future goals and actions.Group Design, Group DesignsSchellingPoint term1

GDM-DesignGroup decision-making where no options exist yet, so the group has to create the goals and plan from scratch.GDM-DesignSchellingPoint term1

GDM-ChoiceGroup decision-making where the options already exist and the group evaluates, ranks and picks among them.GDM-Choice, GDM-ChooseSchellingPoint term1

IDMIndividual decision-making: when one person makes the decision. Most decision-making training and tools are built for this case.IDMEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision-making1

GDMGroup decision-making: when a group, not one person, works out the goals and plans it will then be asked to deliver.GDMEstablished concepthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_decision-making1