Every day, decision-makers face complex choices with far-reaching consequences for people, communities, natural resources, and the environment. These choices are even more challenging when there are multiple stakeholders involved or when there is uncertainty in what the outcomes of decisions might be. Structured Decision Making (SDM) is an objectives-oriented, transparent process that can support decision-makers by providing a framework for engaging stakeholders and incorporating defensible, science-based tools for evaluating the tradeoffs between choices. 

This talk will demonstrate how structured decision-making (SDM) can be utilized in water resource management to incorporate multiple values. This can support resource management in a way that acknowledges the multiple facets to water that affects the economy, the environment, and communities—all are important in decision making—and can be factored into processes that also incorporate the best available data, science, and information. 

Utilizing a structured and defined process, decision makers and stakeholders can deconstruct the heart of the problem, systematically identify “out of the box” and win-win solutions, address uncertainties that may be leading to indecision, and use robust tools for predicting outcomes. This process allows decision makers to identify the choices most likely to lead to positive outcomes for all concerns.   

Steps in SDM-PrOACT:

• Problem. Define the decision context or problem
• Objectives. Define fundamental objectives 
• Alternatives. Identify alternatives 
• Consequences. Conduct consequence analysis 
• Tradeoffs. Evaluate and optimize tradeoffs 
• Decide and take action. This step is still in the hands of the decision maker, but the consequences and tradeoffs are transparent 

This talk will draw upon an example from Louisiana where groundwater sustainability is key to industry, jobs, and communities. 

<figure><img title="PrOACT-transformed.jpg" src="https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/XYjuNUo3QUG33j7iJeFM" alt="Adapted from Jean Fitts Cochrane" width="274" height="274" /> <figcaption>Adapted from Jean Fitts Cochrane</figcaption> </figure>