SummaryIn the daily work of a network manager at Bellsouth, many decisions must be made. Such a decision opportunity presented itself about a week ago. The question was what to do with a large cable that was obstructing a guardrail that the Department of Transportation is installing. In this article, the decision on what to do with this cable will be resolved using a decision tree. The discussion will include the main factors involved in decision making and also show how the final decision was made.Decision TreeThe decision tree is an effective way of making a business decision; because you can write several alternatives and different options that will accompany these alternatives. To show how effective the decision tree is, this article will demonstrate how a network manager in Bellsouth will handle a situation resulting from the Department of Transportation (DOT) having to add a guardrail to a road in which finds a major cable. When using a decision tree, you must start by asking yourself the following question: what to do with the main cable? Then, leave there with at least two options on what to do next. In this case, there are three options: the first is to work with the DOT and move the cable if necessary, the second is to replace the cable in another location before the DOT starts working, or the third is to suspend this section of cable in the air. . All three options are feasible, but only one is the best decision to make. The challenge is to make the best decision using the decision tree. And by mapping the decision analytically, the decision will be more informed. (Hullett and Hillson, 2006). ...... middle of paper ...... decision, in which everyone can be satisfied. If someone looked at the situation without going through the decision tree process, they might believe that the first option would have been the better decision, for the simple fact that it would have been cheaper for the company. But that would have been a bad decision because there are more risk factors to consider when making the decision. In this case the cable could have been cut trying to move it and we would have lost some credibility with the DOT because it would have cost them more money. In the end, we made the best decision for everyone. References Hulett, DT and Hillson, D. (May 2006). Branching. PM Network, 20(5), 36-40. Retrieved July 8, 2006 from the EBSCOhost database.