Critical Decision Method

The critical decision method (CDM) is a strategy for knowledge elicitation and cognitive task analysis. It was designed to gain understanding into the cognitive processes of expert decision making in the natural context of critical, time-pressured crises. It was first developed and applied by Gary Klein and the company he founded, Klein Associates, to determine how experienced individuals rendered decisions efficiently and appropriately in highly stressful, fast-paced, and shifting situations. The critical decision method is underpinned by John Flanagan’s critical incident technique. The critical incident technique concentrates on the explicit knowledge and observable actions required for an activity. The critical decision method expands on data to include a subjective expert perspective to gain insight into the domain expert’s tacit knowledge and decision making.

The critical incident ...