Malcolm recently was named to head a major manufacturing plant at Eastman Chemical. The plant has had significant increases in inventory and declines in net income over the past two years. Malcolm's task is to eliminate the excess inventory and return the plant to its previous level of profitability. To begin solving this problem, Malcolm invites suggestions from line workers, gathers managers from various levels of the plant to brainstorm, and talks with experts in the field of operations management. This step in the managerial decision-making process is known as _______