A Decision-Making Tool : P M I strategy
You can find this organizer helpful in forming your opinion. Listen to the story “Being First” at Go Read and Write Podcast where this strategy is explained. Then you can use the PMI to form your own opinion to the question “Is it always good to be first?”
When you need to decide about something or form an opinion about an issue, you may find the PMI strategy helpful. P stands for “Plus”, M stands for “Minus” and I stands for “Interesting points or ideas to consider”. This strategy can be done by an individual or can be done in a group. In order to arrive at a good decision or make an informed decision, the facts, ideas or concepts are written down and organized in three columns. Part of good thinking is to know where to put the information in the chart. Usually, it is easiest to figure out the good and bad things about an issue. However, sometimes, the interesting points will help you to consider things like the long-term effects of the decision, or some questions that still need to be answered. The interesting points might help you to think about things more creatively.
Here is an example of the PMI strategy:
Let’s say that you needed to decide if you should buy a new game this week or wait until the game goes on sale. We will use the chart below to see how it might work. We will consider the PMI for buying the game this week.
| P(Plus) | M (Minus) |
I (Interesting points) |
| I get the game I want to play now and will have a lot of fun this weekend. If I don’t buy the game now, it might be out of stock later. My friend has the game and so we can talk about it together at recess. I have the money now. |
If I wait until the game goes on sale, I could get it cheaper and buy another game. My friend might find another friend who owns the game and ignore me. I might spend the money on something else if I wait. |
Is the game worth my money? Does the game have any bugs that might be fixed in a later edition? Do I have anything else to spend my money on that I want more than the game? I am pretty busy with sports this weekend. |
So, after writing down ideas in the PMI chart, I can see my ideas. You might also note that by taking the time to think about the interesting points, the decision might be different than first thought.
Here is a blank chart for you to use for your own thinking.
| P (Plus) | M (Minus) | I (Interesting points) |