8.5.2 Identify options that have a chance of success

Explore and compare the options available to you. Be critically aware of the different factors such as technical, commercial, political, academic or personal interests that may influence your choice of options.

How will you arrive at those solutions most likely to meet the agreed conditions for success? In comparing possible approaches you might use:

• decision-making techniques: developing and applying a decision tree to help you select appropriate methods; seeking and gaining support, co-operation and advice from interested parties; reviewing the effectiveness of previous solutions;

• risk analysis: adopting or developing a risk model and using it to review methods, constraints, obstacles and disadvantages; clarifying and assessing the risks involved to individuals or the environment as a result of a particular course of action; assessing the acceptability or otherwise of particular risks;

• resources: ensuring that necessary resources are available and that you are permitted to use them; identifying alternative approaches if the resources or your access to them change.