Just a small niggle, the title of the thread should be "Crew Decisions"
Personally speaking, I don't think that planning on using GRADE, RADAR, DODAR, etc outside of the sim is particularly realistic. A serious issue, one for which such decision models are meant most for, seem to demand one to jump between problems, usually in a reactive manner somewhat incompatible with such anexpected workflow. However, I believe that such models burnt into the brain during many hours of armchair flying mean that, no matter what happens, you keep the various elements in mind, if not in quite the pattern that the trainer envisaged.
In making decisions, I believe one must be prepared to never loose sight of the big picture (obviously) and remain flexible. I certainly believe that flexibility is an issue with some guys, too many guys go into the sim trying to predict the events based on feedback, it makes me uncomfortable listening to somebody telling me what is going to happen. I find flexibility is facilitated by not anticipating the utilisation of a workflow, but to simply at all times, think in terms of plane, path and people and understand that the goal is to attain enough knowledge to make a decision and know that the decision is working for us.
Excellent post from Captian Pit Bull. The ability to make a decision is no more complex than simply understanding the options and the relative risk associated to each. This understanding can best be attained through shared and accurate situational awareness, i.e. disciplined CRM. It is too easy to hand over ATC and control to the other guy and then leave her behind. The handling guy still needs to be an integral part of the decision loop.