A decision that needs three signatures often has no owner. Each person assumes someone else is responsible, each waits for the others, and the work stalls. When the decision finally comes, nobody remembers who agreed to what, and the same question returns a few months later.
This article is for a head of operations or a managing director who sees this pattern in projects, purchases or tool changes. It describes a light set of rules that fits on one page. It is not a governance framework for a large company.
One person decides
For every type of decision, name a single person who makes the final call. Others can advise, object or be informed, but they do not share the decision. Shared ownership sounds fair and works badly: when two people own a decision, in practice neither does.
Start with the decisions that cause most delay in your team. Typical examples are spending above a certain amount, changing a process that other teams use, choosing a supplier, and changing who has access to a system.
Four roles in one table
Write the roles in a table with one row per type of decision:
| Decision | Decides | Must be consulted | Only informed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New supplier under a set amount | Head of operations | Finance, the team that will use it | Managing director |
| Change to a shared process | Process owner | Teams affected | Everyone else in the department |
| Access to a customer system | System owner | Security contact | The person's manager |
The difference between the third and fourth column matters. People who must be consulted have a real chance to change the outcome and the decider has to listen to them. People who are only informed receive the result after the decision, so that they are not surprised. If the second column keeps growing, the decision is probably too big for one table row and needs a proper project.
A deadline for replies
Many decisions wait because someone has not replied. Agree a deadline for consultation, for example three working days for ordinary decisions and one day for urgent ones. State the rule in the table or in the first message: if a consulted person has not replied by the deadline, the decider goes ahead and notes that no objection was received.
This rule needs support from the top. If people see that a missed deadline is ignored, they will stop meeting it. If they see that decisions go ahead without them, they usually start to reply.
A one-page decision record
After the decision, the decider writes a short record. It has five lines:
- The question, in one sentence.
- The options that were considered.
- The choice that was made and the date.
- The main reason, including the main risk that was accepted.
- Who was consulted and who was informed.
You do not need a special tool. A shared document with one page per decision is enough. The point is that in six months, when someone asks why you chose this supplier or this setup, the answer takes a minute to find. For a larger decision, such as whether to build or buy software, the same logic applies at greater length; see a build-versus-buy decision framework and a one-page decision memo for the CFO.
When the decision is automated or assisted
If part of the process is handled by software or an automated assistant, the same table should say which decisions it may make alone, which it may only prepare and which stay with a person. The article on human approval and audit trail for AI agents shows how to keep a record of those approvals.
Common problems
- Everyone is in the second column. The table turns into a committee. Cut the list to the people whose input could change the result.
- The decider is too senior. If the managing director decides small purchases, the queue grows. Move the decision to the person closest to the work, with an amount limit.
- The record is never written. Make it part of the decision: the decision is not final until the page exists.
- The table is out of date. Review it twice a year and after any reorganisation.
A short checklist
- List the five decisions that most often stall
- Name one decider for each
- Split the others into consulted and informed
- Agree reply deadlines and the rule for silence
- Write a one-page record for each decision
- Review the table twice a year
Sources
- Our related articles linked above.
- The approach described is a general working practice, not a standard; adapt it to your organisation. No figures or client results are claimed in this article.