Judgement and Decision Making

A full-day workshop building the judgement and decision-making skills needed in an APS context.

This workshop gives participants space to explore the relationship between judgement and decision making, working through ten guidelines for effective decision making using a realistic workplace scenario. Participants build practical skills in problem solving, prioritising, and risk assessment, along with an understanding of the factors that can inhibit good decisions and how to address them.

Duration: Half day · Delivery: Online or Face-to-face · Cohort: 8-20 participants

Aligned to the APS Craft Capability Framework and APS Workforce Strategy 2025.

Short Courses → Judgement and Decision Making

What your team will learn

Practical decision-making skills, grounded in an APS context.

Participants build a clearer understanding of the relationship between judgement and decision making, and how to apply ten guidelines for effective decision making to a realistic scenario. They gain insight into problem solving and decision-making tools and techniques, and get hands-on practice with prioritising and assessing risk. The workshop also covers the factors that can inhibit good decision making and how to work around them, so each participant leaves with at least one concrete takeaway to apply.

What we cover

- Judgement and decision making — Understanding the relationship between judgement and effective decision making.
- Ten guidelines for effective decision making — Working through a structured framework, applied to a realistic APS scenario.
- Decision making in the APS context — Understanding effective decision making within APS values and frameworks.
- Problem solving and prioritising — Practising problem solving, prioritisation, and group decision-making techniques.
- Risk assessment — Practising risk assessment and evaluation techniques.
- Inhibiting factors — Understanding decision making inhibiting factors, such as bias and groupthink, and how to address them.

Workshop format

Half a day, delivered to your team as a closed cohort.

McMillan’s Judgement and Decision Making workshop works through a realistic scenario across the day, giving participants the chance to apply ten guidelines for effective decision making in a hands-on way. Participants take part in individual and group activities covering problem solving, prioritising, risk assessment, and decision making under uncertainty.

At a glance

- Length: Half day
- Audience: All — tailored to audience as required
- Delivery: Online (live, facilitated) or Face-to-face
- Cohort size: Minimum 8, maximum 20 participants
- Approach: Facilitated instruction, scenario-based activities, and group work

Who the workshop is for

Suitable for team members at any level — tailored to the seniority and function of your cohort.

- APS Values: Working Ethically in the Public Service — Understanding the APS values and ethical decision making
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- Foundations of Project Management — Core skills to plan, manage, and deliver a project

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How we deliver

Evidence-based training grounded in adult learning principles, applied consistently to every engagement.

1. Initiate

Confirm outcomes, audience, schedule, and success measures.

2. Design and tailor

Shape content and scenarios to your workplace.

3. Deliver

Interactive, practical sessions online or in-person.

4. Evaluate and close

Capture feedback, measure impact, document improvements.

Related workshops

Other short courses your team might find useful.

- Managing Difficult Conversations — Navigating hard workplace conversations with confidence
- Giving and Receiving Feedback — Practical skills for constructive workplace feedback
- Introduction to Leadership — Foundations of leading a workplace team