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Process Decision Program Chart
Also called: PDPC
Description
The process decision program chart systematically identifies what might go wrong in a plan
under development. Countermeasures are developed to prevent or offset those problems. By
using PDPC, you can either revise the plan to avoid the problems or be ready with the best
response when a problem occurs.
When to Use PDPC
Before implementing a plan, especially when the plan is large and complex.
When the plan must be completed on schedule.
When the price of failure is high.
PDPC Procedure
1. Obtain or develop a tree diagram of the proposed plan. This should be a high-level
diagram showing the objective, a second level of main activities and a third level of
broadly defined tasks to accomplish the main activities.
2. For each task on the third level, brainstorm what could go wrong.
3. Review all the potential problems and eliminate any that are improbable or whose
consequences would be insignificant. Show the problems as a fourth level linked to
the tasks.
4. For each potential problem, brainstorm possible countermeasures. These might be
actions or changes to the plan that would prevent the problem, or actions that would
remedy it once it occurred. Show the countermeasures as a fifth level, outlined in
clouds or jagged lines.
5. Decide how practical each countermeasure is. Use criteria such as cost, time required,
ease of implementation and effectiveness. Mark impractical countermeasures with an
X and practical ones with an O.
Here are some questions that can be used to identify problems:
o What inputs must be present? Are there any undesirable inputs linked to the
good inputs?
o What outputs are we expecting? Might others happen as well?
o What is this supposed to do? Is there something else that it might do instead or
in addition?
o Does this depend on actions, conditions or events? Are these controllable or
uncontrollable?
o What cannot be changed or is inflexible?
o Have we allowed any margin for error?
o What assumptions are we making that could turn out to be wrong?
o What has been our experience in similar situations in the past?