The Course of Action (COA) activity is designed to assess higher cognitive abilities. The participant evaluates 2-3 equally compelling options, with the added feature of evaluating 2-5 parameters for each option.
Examples include:
What does the participant believe the short/long-term impact of an option will be? Or, the magnitude of the impact?
Are they able to synthesize disparate information sources?
Can they offer a good recommendation on which course of action to take and why?
DESIGN USAGE
Evaluating trade-offs
Getting participants to reflect on the challenges of leadership. In leadership, there is rarely a clear path forward. Often, leaders are given little information and are challenged with the task of evaluating what they would do given what they know and don’t know. The COA is perfect for these situations.
Problem-solving + decision making
Two of the most important skills are problem-solving and decision-making. The first thing a participant does when presented with the COA is to read the situation and any corresponding resources. To solve the problem, the participant is presented with multiple courses of action (potential strategies for addressing the problem). To narrow down the list, each is evaluated, and then a final decision needs to be made - to decide which course of action to submit.
CONTENT + WORD COUNT
Determine number of options (min 2 - max 3)
Determine number of parameters (min 2- max 5)
Determine type of media to be used (nothing, image, or video) for the options
Activity title (maximum of ~7-10 words)
Activity description (maximum of ~25-30 words)
Option title (for each option) (maximum of ~7-10 words)
Option descriptions (for each option) (maximum of ~40-45 words)
Parameter label (across all options) (maximum ~15-20 words, ideally ~7-10 words)
Want to see it in action? Watch the video below on how to edit COA options + parameters + score them.
PRO TIP 💡
In the debrief, ask participants to provide their rationale for why they selected a specific option.
