Originated by Gary A. Klein, Roberta Calderwood, and Anne Clinton-Cirocco (Rapid Decision Making on the Fire Ground, 1986).
Describes how experts decide under time pressure: recognize the situation as a familiar type, picture the usual response playing out, and act if it works.
When to reach for it
Experienced people must decide fast, or a team wants to understand and train the judgment its experts use.
How it runs
- Match the situation to a type seen before.
- Recall the response that usually works for that type.
- Picture it playing out step by step.
- Act if the picture holds; adjust it if it breaks.
- Compare options formally only when nothing familiar fits.
- Review afterward and add the case to experience.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- Rapid Decision Making on the Fire Ground, Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 30th Annual Meeting, 1986