Unfortunately, these techniques can be difficult to use when working with the public interest. Staff members can use brainstorming during private sessions, and then present the ideas generated at those sessions during public hearings. Ideally, key public representatives can be included in the decision making process to help identify and separate the public interest from the public best interest using these techniques (Donndelinger & Van Dine, 1996, p. 136).
Identifying the objectives also helps in later stages of the decision making process, including determining which alternatives might be appropriate, and which are not. Because of this, objectives should be clear and quantifiable, and understood by all concerned in the decision making process. If those making decisions have different interpretations of what the organization is trying to accomplish, it is unlikely that the organization will be successful. Thus a single situation may have several alternatives which are in the public interest, but only one which is in the public's best interest.
Operations managers may call in experts in order to expedite the problem solving process. For example, a manager who needs to oversee a community development project is likely to call in experts regarding the construction and impact on the community. In many cases, use of experts is mandated by public law. Use of such experts can shorten the time associated with searching for alternatives, and can help the manager find solutions which would otherwise remain hidden (Gruenfeld, 1996, p. 1).
Once alternatives have been generated, they must be evaluated. Some alternatives can be dismissed because they are not in keeping with the standards or expectations of the community. Conservative communities may be hard-pressed to implement an extreme solution, while other communities may not have the resources necessary for some alternatives. Other alternatives may have certain characteristics that make them untenable, such as being heavily laden with restrictions, or requiring that the community stray from its long-term goals (Behn, 1998, p.