I would say that 90% of trading is just what you enter at. The result of any trade is hinged entirely on that number; whether you lose money or make money is just the difference between your entry and your exit so it is something very important to analyze. If you disagree with that please let me know why.
So the reason why I am asking this question is to get some insight into the world as I know how I enter and what tools I use but I am always open to learning how other people make decisions. My particular method begins with the end in mind; I know what I want to sell for and know what that return is so I build the price in reverse and thus set a limit order for that price; if that price never hits I am out nothing and just move on but if the price takes I then have a solid get what I am seeking to acquire. By no means do I use any complex mathematics but I do use some probability and light tree work to see when I should let a trade go.
For people who DCA specifically do you have any specific times you choose to align to? For instance if you know that a company pays dividends in a period which lowers the price by the cost of the dividend\* do you use that information to buy at that point? Or are you time insensitive and instead DCA more often to remove volatility, such as weekly (or even daily) versus monthly or quarterly? I find it interesting but I don't actually practice DCA so I am curious how it has worked out.
\*Before someone jumps in, no, this is not market timing, because dividends are clear information and how they interact with stock price is well documented and replicated and it really does behave as one would expect,