Informatics perspectives on decision taking

A decision is an act or event of decision taking. Decision making always includes decision taking, the latter not involving significant exchanges with non-deciding agents. A decision outcome is a piece of storable information constituting the result of a decision. Decision outcomes are typed, for instance: plan, command, assertion, or boolean reply to a question. A decision effect is any consequence of putting a decision outcome into effect. Decision outcomes must be expected by the decider to lead to certain decision effects, by way of their being put into effect. The availability of a model or of a theory of the causal chain leading from a decision outcome to one or more decision effects is assumed for the decision taker, otherwise the decision outcome is merely an utterance. Decision effectiveness measures the decision effects against objectives meant to be served with the decision. Decision taking is positioned amidst many similar notions including: decision making, decision process, decision making process, decision process making, decision engineering, decision progression, and decision progression production. Decision making is operationally defined as an informatics related activity consisting of the production of progressions from threads, thus casting decision making competence as an informatics competence. Short-circuit logic underlies the production of decision making progressions from instruction sequences that codify prepared decision making processes. Decision taking can constitute the primary task of dedicated agents. Human agents in such roles are professional decision takers. Multi-threading is essential for the professional decision taker.