Coach’s journal · Delegation & decisions
A place to begin
DACI distinguishes the Driver moving a decision forward, the Approver making the final choice, Contributors providing input and people Informed afterward. Apply it to one recurring decision, then check whether criteria, deadlines and actual authority support the agreement.
Look beyond confidence or decisiveness
Repeated approval requests can look like a lack of confidence. Perhaps final authority is unclear, or a previous decision was reversed by someone else. Open up one situation before deciding what the behavior means.
Who gathered information, whose response was awaited, and who eventually chose? Following the path of the decision can make room for the confusion each person experienced.
The conversation behind the four roles
The Driver moves the discussion forward. The Approver makes the final decision, ideally with one clearly identified person. Contributors provide necessary input; Informed receive the outcome.
Respect does not require everyone to participate identically. Hear the voices needed for a sound decision while making final authority clear. Then ask whether the people involved understand the agreement in the same way.
Add criteria and a deadline
Knowing who decides may still leave people unsure what to prioritize. Choose a few criteria relevant to this decision—such as customer impact, quality, cost or timing—and discuss collisions.
What information is essential, and when must the choice be made? Notice whether waiting for perfect information is reducing options. Check that the agreed owner truly has the authority required.
Return to the experience after the decision
Explain the reasoning, next actions and remaining uncertainty, including to people whose suggestions were not selected. Understanding the choice need not mean agreeing with every part of it.
Review timeliness alongside uneven burdens and timely risk sharing. HR can explore mismatched authority and responsibility as well as the manager’s decisiveness.
Questions about this topic
Should we map all decisions at once?
Begin with one recurring bottleneck. Learn whether the roles help people act before expanding the approach.
Must the manager always be the Approver?
Choose the person with suitable authority and accountability for that decision. Distinguish independent decisions from conditions requiring the leader’s judgment.
How can we respect a different view?
Hear necessary input before deciding, then explain the criteria used. Listening to a view does not mean every proposal must be selected.