Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision with incomplete information. How did you make the decision and what was the outcome?

Question Analysis

This question aims to evaluate your decision-making skills, especially in situations where you don't have all the necessary information. It tests your ability to handle uncertainty and risk while still making effective decisions. Employers want to see if you can think critically, prioritize, and act decisively even when you don't have a complete picture. The STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—will help you to structure a clear and concise response, demonstrating your analytical and problem-solving skills.

Answer

Situation: In my previous role as a project manager, we were launching a new software feature, but the market data we needed for a full analysis was incomplete due to unexpected delays in a customer survey.

Task: I needed to decide whether to proceed with the launch as scheduled or delay it until we had all the information, balancing potential risks with the need to meet our timeline and stakeholder expectations.

Action: I gathered available data from previous launches and consulted with the sales and customer service teams to gain insights into customer preferences. I also conducted a risk assessment to evaluate potential impacts. Based on this information, I decided to proceed with the launch but implemented a phased rollout, allowing us to adjust based on initial feedback.

Result: The phased approach allowed us to meet our timeline and receive real-time customer feedback, which we used to make necessary adjustments. This strategy resulted in a successful launch with a 20% increase in user engagement compared to our previous feature rollouts.