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DiagnoseDecideExecuteMedium

Decision Rights Clinic

Clarify who decides, contributes, executes and can stop recurring decisions.

45–75 min6–14

Purpose

Replace ambiguous consensus expectations with explicit authority and participation.

Output: Decision-rights table with escalation and review

Materials

  • Recurring decision list
  • Decision-rights canvas
  • Stress scenarios

Preparation

  • Select five to eight decisions with repeated delay or escalation.
  • Bring recent examples and formal constraints.

Facilitation steps

1

Name the decision

15 min

Rewrite each item as a choice with a boundary and frequency.

2

Assign authority

15 min

Name one decision owner and required consultation for each choice.

3

Define stopping rights

10 min

Specify safety, legal or evidence conditions that can pause execution.

4

Stress test

20 min

Run two realistic conflict scenarios through the proposed rights.

5

Publish

10 min

Record escalation, communication and first review rules.

Observe

  • Is one accountable owner named?
  • Does consultation silently become veto?
  • Can the owner access required evidence?

Debrief

  • Which ambiguity created the most delay?
  • What authority must move?
  • What is the first real decision to test?

Transfer to work

Use the table for the next occurrence of every selected decision and log exceptions.

Participation design supports authority; it does not erase legal or executive accountability.

Failure modes

  • Every decision is assigned to the whole group.
  • Formal accountability is overridden by workshop preference.

Accessibility

  • Publish the table as accessible text.
  • Allow anonymous identification of ambiguous decisions before the session.