for high-consequence programme decisions

Before committing further, establish what happened to the decision you already approved.

Decision Ownership Stabilisation™ helps leadership identify potential decision gaps through screening and, where warranted, independently investigate what changed after approval — before further capital is committed.

Start Decision Screening →
One approved decision
Clearly defined scope.
Phase 1 in 2–3 days
Written screening eligibility result.
Independent investigation
Phase 2, where warranted.

We determine. Leadership decides.

Where capital governance breaks down

The Risk Is Not Change.
It Is Funding What You
Can No Longer Evidence.

Projects change. Costs rise. Scope moves. Delivery routes evolve.

The problem begins when leadership is asked to commit further and cannot clearly evidence how the programme moved from the decision originally approved to the position now being executed.

Every top-up request should answer three questions
01

What exactly was approved?

Cost, scope, delivery route and conditions, on the record.

02

Who changed it, and on what authority?

Each material change traced to a named approval.

03

What does the record show?

Documents the board can see, not recollection.

What we examine

What Must Be Clear Before
The Next Commitment Is Approved

Between approval and execution, three things can move without
anyone formally deciding they should.

Decision Ownership

Who held the decision, and who could change it?

We establish who owned it at each stage, and whether they had the authority.

Decision Criteria

What was it approved against?

We examine whether the original approval conditions and assumptions still govern execution.

Decision Reopening

When was it revisited, and on whose authority?

These changes accurately describe Phase 2 evidence investigation without suggesting that every event can necessarily be traced to a record.

WHERE THIS FITS

Different Roles.
A Different Question.

Major programmes already have governance, assurance and external advisers. Decision Ownership Stabilisation™ does not replace them. It examines a narrower question:

Can leadership show which decision is governing execution today, and what authority supports it?

Programme Assurance

Typically tests readiness, risk and delivery confidence.

Regulatory Oversight

Typically tests compliance with required standards and processes.

Management Consultancy

Typically addresses strategy, performance and implementation.

Decision Ownership Stabilisation™

Examines the record connecting the approved decision to the position being executed today, and reports what it shows. Leadership decides.

The purpose is a documented record of what was approved, what changed and on whose authority, before further capital or commitment is made.

How the investigation is commissioned

Start With a Screening,
Not a Full Investigation

Phase 1

Decision Screening

2–3 working days
to a written determination

A structured questionnaire tests whether potential issues or uncertainties concerning an approved decision warrant further investigation.

–– Written Eligibility Determination
–– A clear answer on whether Phase 2 is warranted
Start Decision Screening →
Phase 2

Decision Investigation

Establish the evidence before the next high-consequence decision.

A full reconstruction of what changed, when it changed and what authority supported it.

–– Formal Decision Continuity Determination
–– Each finding supported by documented evidence.

Follows Phase 1, where an investigation is warranted.

WHEN TO CONSIDER DECISION SCREENING

When Decision Screening
Becomes Necessary

Use it when
✓ A further commitment is being requested.
✓ A reset or recovery decision is approaching.
✓ There are concerns that the programme has materially
   departed from what was approved.
✓ Leadership is uncertain who authorised material changes.
Not for
– Strategy or programme delivery.
– Routine or low-consequence decisions.
– Decisions not yet approved.
If the next major decision depends on a decision history that is unclear, start with Decision Screening.
Nadia Sylvester
Independent Decision Investigator / Founder, Decision Ownership Stabilisation™

Built on 25+ Years of Seeing High-Value Decisions Change During Execution

Working alongside CEOs, Managing Directors and change leaders across multiple sectors, Nadia repeatedly saw approved decisions return for reconsideration after execution was underway.

These experiences shaped Decision Ownership Stabilisation™ — an evidence-based method developed to establish what changed, when it changed and what authority supported it, before further commitment is made.