Editing Decision cycle (section)

{{Short description|Sequence of steps for decision-making}}
A '''decision cycle''' or '''decision loop'''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Simohammed |first1=Antar |last2=Smail |first2=Rachid |title=A decision loop for situation risk assessment under uncertainty: A case study of a gas facility |journal=Petroleum |date=September 2021 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=343–348 |doi=10.1016/j.petlm.2021.01.004 |bibcode=2021Pet.....7..343S |doi-access=free }}</ref> is a sequence of steps used by an entity on a repeated basis to [[Decision making|reach and implement decisions]] and to learn from the results. The "decision cycle" phrase has a history of use to broadly categorize various methods of making decisions, going upstream to the need, downstream to the outcomes, and cycling around to connect the outcomes to the needs.

A decision cycle is said to occur when an explicitly specified [[decision model]] is used to guide a [[Decision-making|decision]] and then the outcomes of that decision are assessed against the need for the decision. This cycle includes specification of desired results (the decision need), tracking of outcomes, and assessment of outcomes against the desired results.