Three types of A/B decisions

In my experience, when faced with a simple binary decision of A or B, there are three possible scenarios:

1. One of the options is clearly better than then other. The decision is easy. Choose the better one.
   
2. Both options seem about the same. There is no clear winner. In this case, the decision is also easy. Choose either one; it doesn't matter which. Since they are both about the same, you'll have reasonably good results either way you go.
3. You don't have enough information to properly evaluate which one is better. This is the tricky scenario, since it requires that you go out and do research to figure out which one is better. And the worst thing you can do is mistake this for scenario 2 and choose the option that only in hindsight is clearly inferior.
   

Comments

[Joe]

Actually, you describe the case of A or not A. Except in the case where B is "not doing A", you always have a third option: not making a decision. That would add additional scenarios, because you would also have to weigh that third option against the other two.

[Dave Cortright]

I would call that an A/B/C decision, then, where C is the "do nothing" scenario.