Toolbox

Decision Protocols Catalog

A practical catalog: when to use consent, DACI, RACI variants, and delegated authority — plus facilitator scripts, ready-to-use templates, and a short practice workshop to help teams adopt clear decision methods that speed action and reduce finger-pointing.

Why a Decision Protocol Catalog?

Teams stall when it’s unclear who decides which things and how. This toolbox helps match common decision types to appropriate protocols so teams make timely, well-informed choices while keeping quality and ownership clear. Use these patterns, scripts, and templates to reduce delays, avoid risky unilateral decisions, and scale consistent decision-making across your organization.

Quick Decision Map — Which protocol to pick

Consent (recommended for operational alignment and risk mitigation)

  • When: Decisions that affect many people where objections could block or harm execution, but full unanimity isn't required.
  • Good for: Policies, process changes, team norms, non-technical trade-offs.
  • Not for: High-risk technical choices requiring single-point accountability or emergency actions.

DACI (Driver–Approver–Contributor–Informed)

  • When: Complex decisions that need a single owner to drive consensus across contributors and a clear approver to sign off.
  • Good for: Product launches, vendor selection, design decisions with multiple stakeholders.
  • Not for: Routine operational choices or low-impact issues.

RACI / RASCI (Responsible–Accountable–Consulted–Informed)

  • When: Clarifying roles across multi-step processes or handoffs where multiple people perform tasks.
  • Good for: Project plans, cross-functional processes, compliance workflows.
  • Not for: Fast-moving decisions that need a single decision driver.

Delegated Authority

  • When: Routine, repeatable operational decisions where speed matters and risk is bounded.
  • Good for: Approvals below specific thresholds, scheduling, routine resource allocations.
  • Not for: Strategic, one-off, or high-risk decisions without clear guardrails.

Decision Selection Flow (short)

  1. Is speed or single accountability required? → Consider DACI or Delegation.
  2. Will objections from many parties block execution if ignored? → Consider Consent.
  3. Is this a multi-step process with distinct handoffs? → Use RACI/RASCI to clarify roles.
  4. Is it routine with well-known boundaries? → Delegate with clear limits and reporting.

Facilitator Scripts (step-by-step)

Consent Meeting Script (15–30 minutes)

  1. Opening (1–2 min): "We're using the consent protocol so we can move forward unless someone raises a reasoned, actionable objection."
  2. Present proposal (2–5 min): State outcome, scope, timeline, and key trade-offs.
  3. Clarifying questions (3–5 min): Short Q&A to remove misunderstandings.
  4. Call for objections (5–10 min): "Raise only objections that would prevent you from supporting implementation. Explain the risk and what you'd need changed."
  5. Address objections (5–10 min): Modify proposal or capture agreed mitigations. If objections remain and are unresolved, escalate to an approver or switch to DACI if needed.
  6. Record consent (1 min): Document final decision, owner, and next steps.

DACI Kickoff Script (10–20 minutes)

  1. State decision and timeline.
  2. Assign roles: Driver (owns progress), Approver (final sign-off), Contributors (input), Informed (updates).
  3. Agree deliverables, checkpoints, and approval criteria.
  4. Driver summarizes next actions and communication plan.

Delegation Announcement Script (5 minutes)

  1. Describe delegated scope (what decisions the person/team can make) and limits (monetary, safety, strategic exceptions).
  2. Explain reporting, audit, and escalation expectations.
  3. Confirm acceptance and document effective date.

Ready-to-Use Templates

Copy these fields into your team docs or meeting notes.

Consent Template

  • Decision title
  • Proposed outcome and scope
  • Rationale and trade-offs
  • Timeline and implementation owner
  • Objections raised and resolution
  • Final consent recorded (yes/modified/escalate)

DACI Template

  • Decision title
  • Driver:
  • Approver:
  • Contributors:
  • Informed:
  • Scope, success criteria, timeline, checkpoints

RACI / RASCI Template

  • Process/activity rows with columns: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed (and Support if using RASCI)
  • Notes on handoffs and acceptance criteria

Delegation Template

  • Delegated role or person
  • Scope and examples of covered decisions
  • Limits and exceptions
  • Reporting frequency and escalation path
  • Review date for delegation

Short Practice Workshop (45–60 minutes)

  1. Purpose (5 min): Explain why consistent decision protocols reduce delay and rework.
  2. Map (10 min): Have small groups list 6–8 recent decisions (examples from the team). For each, choose a recommended protocol and justify briefly.
  3. Role-play (20 min): Two groups run a 10-minute mock consent meeting and a 10-minute DACI kickoff using the scripts and templates.
  4. Debrief (10–15 min): Capture what felt easy, where gaps remain, and one next step to embed the chosen protocol for real decisions.

Adoption Tips

  • Start small: pick one protocol for a category of decisions (e.g., change requests) and standardize documentation.
  • Make roles explicit in meeting invites and decision records.
  • Measure impact: track decision lead time, number of escalations, and repeating reversals as indicators to adjust protocols.
  • Use templates in your team workspace and require a brief justification when deviating from the standard protocol.

Common Pitfalls & Remedies

  • Using consent for high-accountability strategic choices — remedy: switch to DACI with a clear Approver.
  • Delegating without limits — remedy: set thresholds and a review cadence.
  • Over-applying RACI to simple decisions — remedy: reserve RACI for multi-step processes; use DACI or delegation for single decisions.

Next Steps & Customization

Customize templates with your team names, approval thresholds, and decision categories. Pilot the workshop, collect feedback, and iterate.

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