Facilitation Recipe — Run a fast decision huddle (30–60 minutes)

Use this recipe for team decisions that need input and alignment but not a full-day workshop. The structure supports clarity, speed, and a recorded outcome.

Roles

• Facilitator — Keeps time, ensures the structure is followed, and captures the Decision Record.
• Decision owner — The accountable person who will sign off or make the final call (consultative or delegated as appropriate).
• Experts / contributors — Provide evidence, constraints, and tradeoffs.

Agenda (45 minutes example)

1. Frame the question (5 minutes) — Decision owner states the question, constraints, and desired outcome.
2. Silent options (5 minutes) — Everyone writes 1–3 options silently (avoids over-talk and anchoring).
3. Share and clarify (10 minutes) — Rapid round-robin to name options; facilitator records concise tradeoffs.
4. Evidence and assumptions (8 minutes) — Experts call out key evidence and underlying assumptions. Capture obvious data gaps.
5. Confidence and red-team (5 minutes) — Quick confidence check; invite one short dissenting or stress-test viewpoint.
6. Call and commit (5 minutes) — Decision owner states the choice, why, and immediate next steps. Record in the Decision Record with a review date.
7. Wrap-up (2 minutes) — Confirm owners of follow-up actions and how results will be reported.

Practical variations

• For strategic decisions, lengthen evidence and red-team steps and require a formal pre-mortem before commitment.
• For routine operational choices, use a 15-minute huddle and a one-line Decision Record entry to keep velocity high.

Tips to sustain the practice

• Keep decision records searchable and linked to projects so teams can avoid re-debating the same issues.
• Make short reviews part of your cadence (e.g., 4–8 weeks) and celebrate when reviews correct course early.