Self-check

The One-Decision Test.

Select one recently completed, consequential decision. Then ask whether its record can show seven things without anyone having to reconstruct them. The answer to each is yours to give, from the record in front of you.

There is no score and no rating. Your selections are not sent or saved.

For the decision you selected, from the record alone:

01Can I identify the evidence that was available at the time?

List the records, data, and reviews that existed when the decision was made.

02Can I show which evidence the decision actually relied on?

Find where the record names the specific evidence behind the conclusion.

03Can I identify the judgment that was applied?

Find where the record states how the evidence was weighed, not only the outcome.

04Can I see the alternatives, or contradictory evidence, that were considered?

Look for the other courses of action and why they were not selected.

05Can I establish what residual risk was accepted?

Find where the record states the uncertainty that remained and who accepted it.

06Can I identify who accountably authorized the outcome?

Find the named authority, the date, and the basis of the authorization.

07Could another qualified reviewer understand the decision without interviewing the original team?

Hand the record to a colleague who was not involved and ask them to explain it back.