Decision Making Decision method

RAPID

Clarifies who recommends, agrees, provides input, decides, and executes the decision.

Bain’s RAPID separates Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input and Decide. The letters are roles, not a chronological sequence: a recommendation uses input and required agreement, a clearly named person decides, and Perform executes.

Core question

Who recommends, must agree, provides input, decides and executes the decision?

Plan Method guide

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Participants: 3-12 participants
Time: 45–90 minutes for role clarification; decision and execution across further sessions

Brief
Decision brief
Bound the question, deadline, discretion and mandatory conditions.
Rights
Agree RAPID rights
Assign Recommend, Input, Agree, Decide and Perform with specific responsibilities; set one final D role.
Recommend
Recommendation and agreement
Recommend gathers input, compares alternatives and develops a reasoned recommendation.
Decide
Make the decision
Decide makes the final choice with rationale and states conditions or rejected options.
Perform
Execute and review
Perform takes ownership of execution steps, resources and feedback; surface blockers to Decide early.

After execution, review whether the decision and responsibility model worked; change roles when needs change.

A good fit when

For consequential cross-functional decisions with genuine agreement requirements and clear execution.

Ideal for

Management Decisions
Operating Model Design
Cross-team Governance

Not good for

Small everyday decisions
Teams without role clarity

Outputs

RAPID decision rights
RAPID matrix and traceable recommendation with agreements, explicit decision and verifiable execution handover.
Executed decision with review
The review record describes the result after implementation and lessons from the decision process.

RAPID· worksheet

Fictional example

RAPID· worksheet
Role	Person or group	Authority and responsibility	Contribution and handover
R · RecommendWho develops the recommendation and alternatives?	Lea	Compare hosting options and justify recommendation	Provider B with evidence to Amir
A · AgreeWho must agree within which bounded mandatory area?	Nora	Agreement on data processing, no general product veto	Confirm data location and processing before decision
P · PerformWho executes and which outcome is reviewed?	Jan for operations	Set up environment, monitoring and recovery	Provisioning and test evidence by 20 November
I · InputWhat advice does Recommend need by when?	Support and Finance	Assess outage consequences and cost assumptions	Expert input to Lea by Wednesday
D · DecideWhich single person decides finally and commits resources?	Amir	Provider selection and budget release	Decision after required agreement by month end

1. Person or group
R · Recommend
Lea
A · Agree
Nora
P · Perform
Jan for operations
I · Input
Support and Finance
D · Decide
Amir
2. Authority and responsibility
R · Recommend
Compare hosting options and justify recommendation
A · Agree
Agreement on data processing, no general product veto
P · Perform
Set up environment, monitoring and recovery
I · Input
Assess outage consequences and cost assumptions
D · Decide
Provider selection and budget release
3. Contribution and handover
R · Recommend
Provider B with evidence to Amir
A · Agree
Confirm data location and processing before decision
P · Perform
Provisioning and test evidence by 20 November
I · Input
Expert input to Lea by Wednesday
D · Decide
Decision after required agreement by month end

Fictional: choose a hosting provider for a course platform by month end within an €8,000 annual budget. Amir selects B subject to the agreed data location. Jan provisions by 20 November; recovery test and monthly cost are checked at review.

Bain & Company: RAPID decision roles

First step

Name one concrete decision with authority, deadline and mandatory conditions; narrowly scope required agreement rights.

Open the method guide

Good to do first

Decision Making

Decision Framing Workshop

Supplies the framed decision need that RAPID roles get assigned to.

Where to go next?

Delivery

Communication Plan

Carries the implemented decision out to every affected audience.

Paper illustration of a review with planned work, actual event sequence, comparison, and assigned improvement actions.

Operations

After-Action Review

Reviews after implementation how well the decision process itself worked.

Deep dive

Purpose

In complex management decisions, clarity is often missing about who recommends, who agrees, and who makes the decision. RAPID creates this assignment and stabilizes decisions across several levels.

How it works

The roles for recommendation, agreement, performance, input, and decision are pulled apart. This makes visible where expertise lies and where responsibility ultimately needs to be concentrated. This lowers the risk of false agreement and later blockage.

In detail

RAPID strengthens decisions when recommendation, agreement, input, decision, and execution fall apart. Every role should only be involved where it makes a genuine contribution. The acronym pays off when complex alignment gets faster and hidden vetoes become rarer. What matters is that the decide role doesn't stay hidden in consensus.

Facilitation

For exactly one decision, list who takes on recommend, agree, perform, input, and decide, so the discussion doesn't sprawl. Value emerges when input stays limited and decision power remains recognizably separate. Close with a named decision-maker, a clear resolution, and the next implementation steps.

The method guide walks execution through 5 phases, timing, 5 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.

Open method guide

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Sources and topics

Topics

Decision Roles Governance

Sources

Bain & Company: RAPID decision rolesmedia.bain.comOriginal Bain material on decision rights; acronym order is not process order. Editorial example.

In playbooks

Set Up Decision GovernanceMove from decision bottlenecks to roles, rights, escalation paths, and documented decisions.

Artifact templates

RAPID: WorksheetName one concrete decision with authority, deadline and mandatory conditions; narrowly scope required agreement rights.

markdown

rapid-working-template.md

Name one concrete decision with authority, deadline and mandatory conditions; narrowly scope required agreement rights.

RAPID: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Complete cycle Time: 45–90 minutes for role clarification; decision and execution across further sessions

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

Materials: Decision brief, RAPID matrix, evidenced alternatives, agreement conditions and execution plan.
Roles: Recommend leads the recommendation; narrowly scoped Agree roles, Input experts, one Decide and named Perform owners.
Advance information: Name one concrete decision with authority, deadline and mandatory conditions; narrowly scope required agreement rights.
Overall time needed: 45–90 minutes for role clarification; decision and execution across further sessions
Setup: Place the decision brief beside the role matrix; record mandatory agreement areas and escalation before analysis.

Prepare for the work steps

Brief: Decision brief

Decision need
Authority and limits

Rights: Agree RAPID rights

Decision
Stakeholders and mandatory checks

Recommend: Recommendation and agreement

RAPID matrix
Options and evidence

Decide: Make the decision

Recommendation
Required agreements

Perform: Execute and review

Decision
Resources and Perform owners

RAPID· worksheet

Role	Person or group	Authority and responsibility	Contribution and handover
R · Recommend
A · Agree
P · Perform
I · Input
D · Decide

R · Recommend: Who develops the recommendation and alternatives?
A · Agree: Who must agree within which bounded mandatory area?
P · Perform: Who executes and which outcome is reviewed?
I · Input: What advice does Recommend need by when?
D · Decide: Which single person decides finally and commits resources?

Agree people, rights and handovers per role. Narrowly scope Agree; exactly one final Decide. I means Input; acronym order is not a workflow.

Bain & Company: RAPID decision roles

Brief: Decision brief

Expected artifact: Bounded decision

Do decision scope and authority match?

Entry:

...

Do decision scope and authority match?

Rights: Agree RAPID rights

Expected artifact: Confirmed RAPID matrix

Is every Agree right bounded by subject?

Entry:

...

Is every Agree right bounded by subject?

Recommend: Recommendation and agreement

Expected artifact: Aligned recommendation

Are mandatory agreements and open objections traceable?

Entry:

...

Are mandatory agreements and open objections traceable?

Decide: Make the decision

Expected artifact: Binding decision

Is the choice explicit and documented for communication?

Entry:

...

Is the choice explicit and documented for communication?

Perform: Execute and review

Expected artifact: Executed decision with review

Are execution ownership and review signal agreed?

Entry:

...

Are execution ownership and review signal agreed?

Open questions and next steps

...

Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/rapid/run-sheet

Alternatives and neighbors

Fitting alternatives with decision guidance, followed by other related methods.

All methods

Decision Making

DACI

Instead of RAPID, when you want to derive a decision cleanly with clear criteria, risks, or consequences.

Decision Making

Decision Rights Mapping

Moves options, criteria, and risks toward a concrete result through "identify key decision types", "collect roles", and "document and communicate the agreement".