The Decision Ladder Model for Skilled Performance

The Decision Ladder Model for Skilled Performance Danish engineer Jens Rasmussen developed the decision ladder model in the 1970s to explain how skilled operators make decisions in complex systems. His key insight was that experts do not follow the same decision process every time. They take shortcuts. And understanding these shortcuts is essential for designing better decision support, training programs, and organizational processes. The Full Ladder The complete decision ladder has eight stages. Activation (detecting that a decision is needed), observation (gathering data), identification (recognizing the situation), interpretation (understanding its implications), evaluation (assessing options), selection (choosing an action), planning (working out the details), and execution (carrying out the plan). A novice climbs every rung of this ladder for every decision. They detect a signal, gather data, identify the pattern, interpret what it means, evaluate their options, select one, plan t