Just a heads up: On March 24, 2025, starting at 4:30pm CDT / 19:30 UTC, the site will be undergoing scheduled maintenance for a few hours. During this time, the site might be unavailable for a short while. Thanks for your patience.
×We hash it out.
This is exactly what I need! We're struggling to make decisions and I end up making the executive decision as a project lead. Need to get better!
Hi, I agree that its helpful having a structured model to drive efficient decision making however how do you create an environment where you have robust decision making ie how do you create an environment where there is critical thinking and challenge rather than a "yes" culture?
We have a weekly meeting and follow a less formal process. I think DACI is great for documented decisions!
Thank you for sharing this play of the month :)
I need to look into this further.
Came back to this a few times already in the past few months, still a gem :) Goes to show how relevant the concept is!
I'm so glad to hear this, Michelle!
Striking the balance between maximum transparency and minimum overhead is very difficult, I've found. In my experience at a smaller company trying to tidy up instances, the best way to manage decisions is to have a single stakeholder or owner which you can repeatedly return to for approval. It helps to collect as much information as you can before going to them, because often they will trust your judgement and assume you've given them the full picture, which can be risky if you're doing high risk things.
I struggle with the DACI. It's often difficult to get the right people, but I have started putting my best guesses and people correct them :). One challenge is getting the correct Approver on the page. Often there are 2 or more people I can pick out as approvers - from different POVs - and I see this happening more often. I'm trying to find a way to convince everyone the role of the approver is not necessarily to be the approving leader, but more of a facilitator to be sure that everyone has had their say, contributions, and given approval from their respective viewpoints.
Recommended Learning For You
Level up your skills with Atlassian learning
Redesign your workweek
Configure your calendar to prioritize high-impact work and goals. You'll learn how to set daily priorities, prioritize essential meetings, and schedule focus time.
How to run effective meetings
Lead efficient meetings that have clear goals, keep your attendees actively engaged, and use the Atlassian Playbook to improve meeting success.
How to build strategic guidance
Build a high-performing, effective team by providing clarity, defining success, and making it clear who will benefit from your efforts — a technique we call strategic guidance.