DR® · Stage One
Critical Decision Reset®
A targeted 12-week structured engagement for a single recurring decision carrying personal and organisational exposure. DR® structures the decision before the exposure arrives, not after.
DR® is the entry point. DQ® follows only after DR® has delivered.
1
decision class per engagement
7
canonical governance instruments
12
weeks. Fixed scope.
5
phase-gated delivery structure
What DR® addresses
One recurring decision carrying unstructured exposure.
The decisions DR® addresses share a recognisable fingerprint. Repeatedly escalated. Disproportionate in leadership bandwidth. Generate internal blame cycles when outcomes deviate. Technically informed but structurally unresolved.
When that decision is scrutinised, the absence of a defensible process is what creates liability. The organisation improvises. The improvisation is where the amplification costs accumulate.
DR® addresses one such decision. Governance amplification is measurable and preventable. The executive who closes DR® holds the only document in their organisation that establishes decision process defensibility for a class of decision that carries personal liability.
What it is not
An audit, a review, or a diagnostic exercise
What it is not
A maturity framework or capability assessment
What it is not
Advisory given to the organisation
What it is
A structured governance architecture for one recurring decision
What it produces
Seven canonical governance instruments, signed and board-ready
What it leaves
A decision record that separates sound process from absent process
What DR® produces
Five outcomes. One decision. Twelve weeks.
DR® produces five documented outcomes for the sponsor. Each one addresses a specific source of exposure in the decision. Together they form a decision governance record that separates sound process from absent process. The detail behind each outcome is discussed under NDA.
01
The sponsor holds a formal record of the decision basis before any commitment is made.
02
The sponsor holds documented evidence of the assumption base underpinning the decision.
03
The sponsor holds a defined set of conditions governing how the decision is made and reviewed.
04
The sponsor holds a signed record of individual accountability across every component of the decision.
05
The sponsor holds a formal escalation record with named authority and pre-defined conditions.
Each outcome is documented, signed, and board-ready. The record demonstrates that the process was sound before any triggering event occurred.
Governance instruments
Seven governance instruments. Every engagement. No exceptions.
Every DR® engagement produces the same seven instruments. Each is signed, version-controlled, and board-ready at handover. Together they form a complete governance record for the decision: defensible at board level, under regulatory inquiry, and at JV partner review. The instrument suite is discussed in detail under NDA.
01
Structures the decision rationale
02
Documents the assumption base
03
Governs the commitment logic
04
Records individual accountability
05
Defines escalation conditions
06
Produces the board-level record
07
Confirms live cycle performance
Content is specific to the decision and the operator.
Structure is invariant.
Engagement structure
Five phases. Twelve weeks. Fixed scope.
The DR® engagement follows a five-phase structure designed across multiple capital-intensive operator engagements. Each phase has a defined outcome. Each phase gate must be confirmed before the next begins. Scope is fixed at contract execution and does not change during delivery.
Scope
Phase 1
1
Scope locked
The engagement begins with a signed, confirmed scope. No analytical work starts before this gate closes.
Architecture
Phase 2
2
Decision constructed
The sponsor holds a formally constructed and documented decision record before any commitment is made.
Ownership
Phase 3
3
Governance structured
The sponsor holds a complete, signed governance record for the decision.
Hand over
Phase 4
4
Instruments delivered
The full decision governance instrument suite is delivered, board-ready, in a confirmed close-out session with the sponsor group.
Roll-out
Phase 5
5
Live cycle completed
The engagement closes only when the governance architecture has been confirmed to function under live operating conditions.
The engagement requires five confirmed sponsor sessions across the twelve weeks. Dates for all five are locked at contract execution, not scheduled week by week. Each phase gate is confirmed before the next begins. A one-week slip at any single session is permissible. A two-week slip requires a formal timeline amendment signed by the sponsor.
Sponsor profile
DR® is for the executive who resolves rather than absorbs.
The DR® sponsor carries the weight of a recurring decision and has the standing and authority to resolve it. They understand that a defensible decision record is a personal asset. They are not seeking validation of a position already taken. They want a governance structure that makes the next commitment defensible in advance.
Sponsor qualification criteria
01
Holds budget authority for the engagement without external approval.
02
Carries personal exposure to the outcome of the decision in question.
03
Has the organisational standing to assign named accountability to peers or direct reports.
04
Is willing to produce and sign a formal governance record of the decision.
05
Operates at COO, Asset Manager, Managing Director, Commercial Director, or Technical Director level.
When not to use DR®
01
When the requirement is to validate a decision already made, not restructure a recurring one
02
When there is no identifiable sponsor with budget authority and personal exposure to the decision
03
When there is resistance to documenting trade-offs and assigning named accountability formally
04
When the decision in question is a one-time event with no recurrence in the operational cycle
05
When the primary requirement is speed of output rather than governance discipline
Commercial terms
DR® is a fixed-fee engagement. Fee structure, payment milestones, and engagement terms are discussed directly with qualified sponsors. The conversation begins with the decision, not with a commercial proposal.
Confidentiality posture
Documentation in place before any conversation begins.
A mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement is executed before any pre-engagement conversation takes place. No commercial discussion, no diagnostic exchange, and no data review begins without NDA documentation in place for both parties.
Where the engagement involves access to price-sensitive or operationally-sensitive information, insider registration is completed before data access is granted. Confidentiality agreements specific to the engagement scope are signed before delivery commences. No gate opens on informal understanding.
Pre-engagement
Mutual NDA executed before any commercial or diagnostic conversation
Data access
Insider registration completed before access to price-sensitive operational data
Delivery commencement
Engagement-specific confidentiality agreement signed by named parties
Throughout engagement
All DecIQ® personnel operating under standing, binding and signed confidentiality obligations
Post-engagement
Confidentiality obligations survive engagement close-out indefinitely
If the decision keeps returning, the governance structure is the answer.
DecIQ® works with named sponsors who carry accountability for a recurring decision and want a defensible structure for it. The engagement begins with the decision, not with a framework.
EngageSee how DR® fits the full sequence →Next in the sequence: DQ® →Read the insights →