Decision Rights

D07 - Decision Rights Clarity

Definition

The explicit, written allocation of authority across a team — defining which decisions each person makes alone, which require notification after the fact, and which require sign-off before action.

In most growing companies, decision rights exist implicitly. Everyone has a rough sense of what they can do. That rough sense diverges over time and across team members, producing duplicated work, overescalations, and autonomous decisions that should not have been made alone — each a separate failure mode, each invisible until it surfaces.

Indicators

• Two people on your team would give a different answer if asked, "Who decides X?"
• You are the default escalation point for decisions that shouldn't require your involvement.
• No written Zone 1/2/3 authority map exists for your team.

Quick Win

• Pick one recurring decision.
• Ask two team members separately, "Who decides this?"
• If their answers differ from each other, you've found your gap.

Assess

• Take the HQ Score Assessment

Apply

• The Decision Boundary Map
• The Decision Boundary Map Checklist

Related

• Zone 1 Decision
• Zone 2 Decision
• Zone 3 Decision
• Escalation Protocol
• Founder Transition
• Cross-Functional Process