/decision-rule

Use the facilitation-decision-architect skill to pick the right decision method for a specific decision the user is facing. The most common workshop failure is "we discussed but didn't decide" — that's a decision-rule failure, named in advance prevents it.

Reference: decision-methods-catalog.md for the full method-by-method working notes.

Steps:

1. Get the inputs. Ask if not provided:

   • What's the decision? (Specific — "should we ship Friday or push to Monday?" not "release decision")
   • Stakes (low/medium/high — irreversible or hard to reverse?)
   • Urgency (today, this week, this month, this quarter?)
   • Buy-in needed (will the people who execute have to believe in it?)
   • Information distribution (does any one person have the full picture?)
   • Group size (1–4, 5–8, 9+)
   • Existing trust (high, mixed, low)

2. Apply the decision tree from the catalog:

Is the decision irreversible or high-stakes?
├─ Yes → invest in deliberation
│        Is execution buy-in critical?
│        ├─ Yes → Consent or RAPID
│        └─ No → Leader decides after consultation
└─ No → use a faster method
         Is one person holding the picture?
         ├─ Yes → Leader decides
         └─ No → Multi-vote (narrow) → Fist of five (confirm)

3. Recommend one method, with rationale in 2–3 sentences. If it's close between two, name both and the discriminating factor.

4. Anti-recommendations. Name what not to use and why:

   • "Don't use consensus here — group is too large and time-pressured. Use consent instead."
   • "Don't use RAPID — this is a personal call, not cross-functional. Leader decides after consultation."

5. Show the moment-of-decision script. For the recommended method, give the user the actual sentences to say:

   • Frame the rule: "We're using [method]. Here's what that means for how this conversation lands..."
   • Frame the proposal: For consent/leader-after-consultation, what to say
   • Test for objection / agreement: The exact prompt
   • Land the decision: How to close
   • Capture live: Use template-decision-record.md
   • Name the owner: "[Name], you're owning the next step?"
   • Set the checkpoint: "We'll review on [date]"

6. Anticipate dissent. If the decision is contested:

   • Recommend pre-mortem or "Why It Won't Work" before the decision moment
   • Coach on devil's-advocate assignment
   • Plan how dissent will be honored in the decision record ("dissent voiced" section)

7. For recurring decisions of similar type (steering committee items, architecture review, hiring), recommend the cadence-level rule rather than per-decision: "For all decisions like this, this body uses [method]." Document in the team's working agreements.

Don't pick consensus when consent will do — it's the most common over-investment in deliberation cost.