# Decision Point

Decision points are critical junctures where choices impact your robot's design and performance. Decision matrices are your trusty tools here. These are key moments where you must choose between different paths, like prioritizing speed or utility.

**Steps:**

1. **Identify Decision Points:** Recognize moments demanding a choice, e.g., choosing intake mechanism.
2. **Create a Decision Matrix:** List designs and criteria. For an intake mechanism, criteria could include intake speed, capacity, and distance launched.
3. **Evaluate Designs:** Rate each design against criteria, considering factors from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best.
4. **Calculate Totals:** Apply weighting factors to criteria. The design with the highest total score is your choice.

It is important to note that when your team comes to a decision point you **need to make a decision**, otherwise you lose on valuable time. You should allot a certain time frame in the decision making process to set limits on how long you are willing to spend on coming up with a decision to avoid time wastage.

If your team is still **unable to come up with a decision** within the allotted time, it is the **captain's job to make the decision**. This may sound like it cuts out feedback from other members, but this is the wise choice since there was previously an allotted time where all members could give their input on the choice to make but that didn't result in a consensus. This makes an executive decision the ideal choice to make sure the team's workflow remains on track.

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