HomeNeutral EvaluationUse casesStrategy & board decisions
TN/USE/01
Edition 2027 · effective 1 January 2027
Strategy & board decisions · A major strategic decision
The board is about to commit. Everyone in the room has a stake in the answer.
Leaders sponsor proposals; boards approve them. An independent evaluation tests the case before the commitment, so the decision rests on evidence rather than advocacy.
§ 01The evaluation question
What the evaluator is asked.
“On the evidence available, does this proposal achieve what it claims, and what would have to be true for it to fail?”
(The question)
Commissioned by. Board, investment committee, chair
When. Before approval
Usual protocol. B · Single-commissioner decision review
Managers who say their organisation excels at decision making; 61% say most of their decision time is used ineffectively.McKinsey Global Survey, Decision making in the age of urgency (1,259 respondents) · 2018 ↗
§ 02What is examined
The evidence, and the output.
The evidence
Material reviewed, and what was not available, is always stated.
- The decision being asked for and its alternatives
- Assumptions behind the numbers
- Evidence for and against each assumption
- Risks, triggers and what would change the view
A reasoned view on the strength of the case, with the conditions under which it holds
A reasoned view. The decision stays with you.
- It will not: approving or rejecting the proposal for the board
- It will not: replacing management analysis
§ 03Depth and time
Usually: Clarity DeepView™.
A full twelve-part INE™ report. Typical time: Two to three weeks.
§ 04Your version
Every case is different. Frame yours.
§ 05Related