Design note
The workshop is successful when the record makes the reasoning, uncertainty and authority inspectable—not when everyone reports feeling aligned.
All playbooks
Close one complex decisionMedium
Decision Workshop: choose one option without hiding disagreement
Frame one consequential decision, compare options under common criteria and leave with a decision record.
Output
Decision record with rationale and revisit conditions
Time
3 hours
People
6–12
Preparation
3–10 days
Facilitator
High
Decision owner
Required
Output
Decision record with rationale and revisit conditions
Use when
- Defined options exist but participants use different criteria.
- Material information is distributed across functions.
- A named owner can close the decision or define the next evidence gate.
Do not use when
- No one present has authority to decide.
- The group is still diagnosing the problem and has no credible options.
Preparation
- Write the decision as one sentence.
- Prepare comparable option cards.
- Name must-have constraints and weighted criteria.
- Collect independent initial positions.
Roles
Decision owner
States authority, criteria and the closing rule.
Facilitator
Keeps information and objections visible before convergence.
Option owners
Present options under the same evidence standard.
Decision recorder
Captures the decision live in the room.
Run of show
1
20 min
Decision frame
Confirm question, authority, constraints and criteria.
Output: Decision frame
2
25 min
Information reveal
Surface distributed facts before advocacy hardens.
Output: Shared evidence set
3
35 min
Compare options
Evaluate every option under the same criteria.
Output: Comparable option table
4
25 min
Objections and stress test
Expose decision-changing risks and dissent.
Output: Objection log
5
15 min
Close and record
Decide, defer with an evidence gate, or escalate explicitly.
Output: Decision record
Exercises
Hidden Profile Decision
Show how groups favour shared information and prematurely converge.
45–60 minConstructive Dissent
Challenge a proposal through explicit roles, evidence and revision rules.
30–50 minDecision Rights Clinic
Clarify who decides, contributes, executes and can stop recurring decisions.
45–75 minArtifacts
- Decision frame
- Option cards
- Decision log
- Objection log
- Revisit condition
Follow-up
- Publish the record within one working day.
- Assign every evidence gap an owner and date.
- Review the decision only when a recorded trigger occurs.
Failure modes
- Voting is treated as evidence.
- The preferred option receives a different burden of proof.
- The group leaves with consensus language but no owner.
Remote and hybrid
Use individual response forms before discussion and one shared decision record visible to every participant.
Accessibility
- Provide option cards before the session.
- Use silent scoring and written objections.
- Read the final decision record aloud and publish it digitally.