Decision
No decision identified? No purpose having a meeting.
The Engineer chairs. Primary boxes: Questions & Decisions + Plan from the six-box canvas. Energy is committed — filter, score, commit resources.
A decision meeting produces binding commitments. Every decision gets an owner, a due date, and resources. Anything less is a conversation that felt productive.
Protocol
| Stage | Protocol | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Before | Decision identified. Options scored. Only decision-makers attend (3-7). | Scored options |
| During | Run through decision constitution filters. Commit resources: time, money, assets. | Binding commitment |
| After | Flowchart in decision journal. Owners, dates, resources documented. | Execution plan |
Running It
- Chair asks: "What's the critical path?" and "What's the minimum that works?"
- Every decision gets: owner, due date, resources committed
- If no decision can be made, state what's missing and schedule the next meeting
- 3-7 people. Only those with authority to commit. Observers dilute commitment.
- Ship the decision. Perfect decisions don't exist — only decisions made and decisions avoided.
Securing Commitment
People bring their own motivations. Firm agreements during a meeting often become maybes in the following days.
Agreements only matter if they are implemented. Commit with bets to secure commitment. Bets can be made in fun — the point is skin in the game, not punishment.
Make sure the process forward is clearly mapped out with required efforts understood and appreciated by all.
Make meetings matter, align intentions and secure commitment
Shadow Risk
Soulless optimization. Deciding without wisdom. The room optimises for efficiency and misses the human cost. Every commitment is technically correct but emotionally hollow — so no one follows through.
Shadow check: Are we deciding or perfecting the decision process? If the room has spent more time on the framework than the actual decision, ship what you have.
Wrong Meeting?
| Signal | Redirect to |
|---|---|
| Criteria aren't clear yet | Debate — narrow options before committing |
| Room lacks shared understanding | Discovery — present evidence first |
| No one has authority to commit | Reschedule with decision-makers. This meeting cannot produce. |
| Room keeps generating new options | Collision — let divergence complete first |
Context
- Engineer Archetype — The chair's operating mode
- Make Meetings Matter — The six-box canvas
- Meetings — Universal protocol
- Decision Making — The framework
- Decision Journal — Where decisions get recorded
- Prediction Probability — Commitment through bets
Questions
What separates a decision meeting that produces binding commitment from one that produces polite agreement?
- How do you detect when the room is perfecting the decision process instead of making the decision?
- When authority to commit is unclear, should the meeting proceed or halt?
- If bets secure commitment, what happens when the stakes are high enough that people avoid betting?