Board decisions often have to be made with imperfect information.
That’s part of serving on a community association board. Directors are volunteers, they’re working with the information available to them, and they don’t have the luxury of knowing everything about every issue that comes before the board.
But before making an important decision, there is one question I think is worth asking:
What information are we missing?
Maybe the board is considering a contract. Have we reviewed the existing agreement?
Maybe a significant repair is being discussed. Do we know what the underlying problem is and what options are available?
Maybe a vendor has recommended a particular solution. Is there information we should obtain before deciding whether that recommendation makes sense for the association?
Maybe the board is considering a new policy. Do we understand how it will actually work once it is implemented?
Sometimes the answer will be, “We have what we need to make a decision.”
Sometimes it will be, “We need one more piece of information.”
That pause can be valuable.
It doesn’t mean a board has to investigate every possible question or delay every decision until it has perfect information. Good decision-making isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about knowing when you don’t know enough.
A board might ask:
What do we know?
What don’t we know?
Who can help us fill that gap?
Is the missing information important enough to affect our decision?
That last question is particularly important.
Not every unanswered question matters. But sometimes one missing piece of information can change the decision entirely.
The goal isn’t to make board decisions unnecessarily complicated.
It’s to make sure the board has the information it needs to make a thoughtful decision on behalf of the community.
Before asking, “What should we do?” sometimes the better question is, “What do we need to know first?”