Determine a crucial decision about which to write. The executive decision should be one that affects multiple people, has important implications and required significant research and weighing of options.
Create a timeline of the decision-making process and your thought process and tasks at each phase. The timeline is primarily to clarify your thoughts before writing the paper, but you can also include it as a supporting document within the paper.
Define the decision problem. Begin the paper by explaining the problem, what caused it and what was at stake. Clarify your role in the decision-making process and why you needed to make the decision.
Outline the objectives of your decision, and write about what you hoped to accomplish by making the decision. By clearly explaining your goals, you can more easily explain your thought process and gauge the effectiveness in the decision.
Explain the alternatives that you pursued. A decision is only as good as the best alternatives that you explore, so outline all of the options that you examined. Detail how you evaluated the alternatives, and their possible consequences.
Include information about how you worked with others to make the decision, if applicable. For example, if you assembled a work group or committee to examine alternatives, explain how you developed the group and work with them.
Reveal your final decision. Explain the factors that led to the decision, and how you implemented the choice.
Assess the effectiveness of your choice. Use detailed examples, facts and figures to show how your decision played out. If you made the wrong decision, explain why and summarize what you would have done differently.