Business Decision Review Questions.
Twelve questions to examine a decision: the evidence, options, responsibility and next action it needs. No score or automatic service recommendation.
I.What this test is for.
Use these questions to identify what a decision still needs: evidence, options, authority, action or specialist support. The page does not classify a person or prescribe a service.
Keep the written answers. One serious unresolved issue may matter more than several reassuring answers. There is no quiz score.
II.Triage before treatment.
Start with the actual choice and the commitment it would create. Research can clarify an uncertain option; a discussion can resolve preferences; governing documents and qualified advice may determine who has authority. Those tasks can proceed together when appropriate.
III.First three questions.
- Will this decision change control, ownership, authority, capital, governance, or the operating model?
- Is something becoming irreversible the moment this decision is made?
- Will the cost of getting this wrong show up across multiple quarters, not just this one?
Name the consequence behind each answer. One irreversible commitment can deserve careful preparation even when the other answers are no. A reversible operating choice may be handled by the person who already owns it. The stakes determine the evidence and authority needed; they do not automatically determine a service to buy.
IV.Next three questions.
- Is the option set in front of you reasonably clear, or do you not yet know what the realistic options are?
- Has a strategy review been completed in the past 18 months without producing a decision?
- If a smart peer asked you what the question is, could you state it in one sentence?
Clear options with no decision call for checking evidence, priorities and authority. Unclear options call for investigation. A consultant can help frame the question; a finished answer is not a prerequisite to asking for help.
V.Next three questions.
- If asked, can you name in one sentence who has the rights to make this decision?
- Is the named decider ready to live with what they will own after the decision?
- Is anyone involved holding consent rights, and have they been given a real proposal to consent to or block?
If decision rights are unclear, check them with the responsible people and governing documents. If the decider hesitates, ask which consequence or missing fact explains the hesitation. Identify any required consent separately; hesitation does not establish a personal defect.
VI.Final three questions.
- Is the actual block emotional or relational rather than structural? A grief, a betrayal, a partnership rupture.
- Is the actual block ownership-layer? What the company exists for, who owns it, what it is being used to accomplish.
- Is time genuinely the issue? Is there an external clock that makes "decide now with what you have" the right answer?
Relationship conflict, ownership rights and a real deadline need different responses. Name the support needed for the actual issue without diagnosing anyone from these questions. A deadline may require immediate protection or a limited decision; it does not make missing legal authority or critical evidence irrelevant.
VII.Use the answers to choose the work.
Evidence missing: assign the specific investigation and a date to return with it. Authority unclear: establish who may approve and whose consent is required. Action missing: name the person and next commitment.
For example, a reversible quote test with an authorized sales lead can proceed within agreed limits. A one-off ownership transfer may need counsel and consent even if it is the only consequential item in the answers.
Coaching, consulting, operating help and specialist work are possible contributions, not compulsory stages. Match the scope to what remains unresolved.
VIII.Where to go from here.
Bring the unresolved question and agree the contribution you need.