Driving Decisions
Let’s look at how to drive effective decision-making within the program.
Why is it important to drive decisions?
Programs are large and complex. As a result, the lines of communication and collaboration across the entire program may not be as strong as a smaller, less complex initiative.
When decisions need to be made, it is easy for those decisions to take a long time because of the distance between stakeholders. It is also a huge challenge in large programs for those with decision rights to fully understand the nuanced details of each decision.
You need to empower decision makers to make the best, data-informed decisions they can in a timely manner.
Additionally, you are uniquely positioned for effective cross-functional decision-making because you have built relationships across company lines. You can ensure that decisions are not made in an organizational vacuum. You drive cross-functional context in program-wide decisions.
Think of it like a funnel. Among all the supporting data, context, and history, your role is to help the teams (and the person with decision making authority) to understand and decide.
DACI framework
Sometimes you are the decision maker. Sometimes you are not. Either way, you will want to consult with critical stakeholders to make sure all the relevant information is readily available.
Decisions don't have to be unanimous across all stakeholders, but you'll find that the more collaborative you make the decision, the easier it will be to obtain buy-ins on the decision.
There is a common framework you can utilize to know how to effectively drive collaboration on a specific decision. The DACI framework was inspired by the RACI matrix, but with greater focus on the decision-making ...