Short answer
Decision quality means making timely choices with relevant evidence, clear criteria, and judgment proportionate to the stakes and uncertainty.
About Decision quality
Makes timely decisions using relevant evidence, clear criteria, and proportionate judgment. Quality is assessed from the process and information reasonably available at the time, not only from hindsight about the result.
Use this competency for
- Assessing how someone frames choices, weighs evidence, and decides within their authority.
- Setting expectations for decision timing, uncertainty, trade-offs, and review.
Do not use this competency for
- Do not use it to penalize a sound decision solely because an uncertain outcome was unfavorable.
Important distinctions
Analytical thinking
Analytical thinking develops understanding from information. Decision quality turns sufficient understanding into a timely, accountable choice.
Ethical judgment
Ethical judgment centers risks to people, trust, and standards. Decision quality covers the broader evidence, criteria, and timing of choices.
Expectations by level
IC1
Makes bounded decisions
Makes well-defined decisions within own scope using established criteria and seeks guidance when consequences or uncertainty exceed that scope.
Observable behaviors
- Identifies the choice, available evidence, and relevant criteria.
- Uses established decision rights and escalation paths.
- Records the reason for a decision when others will depend on it.
Examples
- Chooses between approved options using the team's stated criteria.
- Escalates a decision when a newly identified risk exceeds assigned authority.
IC2
Makes ambiguous decisions independently
Independently makes ambiguous decisions with several trade-offs, gathering enough evidence without delaying beyond the decision's useful window.
Observable behaviors
- Defines criteria before comparing materially different options.
- Distinguishes missing critical evidence from information that is merely desirable.
- Reviews important decisions when assumptions or results change.
Examples
- Selects an approach after documenting cost, reversibility, and user impact.
- Sets a review date for a choice made with incomplete demand evidence.
IC3
Shapes complex decision systems
Guides high-complexity decisions across teams and improves how recurring choices are framed, governed, and revisited.
Observable behaviors
- Clarifies decision rights where several teams or leaders are involved.
- Makes uncertainty and competing criteria explicit for decision makers.
- Designs reusable decision practices proportionate to recurring risk.
Examples
- Structures a cross-team investment decision with explicit criteria and dissent.
- Introduces a lightweight review process for repeated high-impact choices.