Using Governance and Decisions
The Decisions workspace provides a structured framework for making and tracking important service management decisions.
What is the Decisions Workspace?
Structured Decision-Making for Service Management
The Decisions workspace provides a framework for making and tracking important service management decisions. Instead of decisions living in email threads or meeting notes, they’re recorded with full context, options, and outcomes.
The 4-Step Framework
Every governance case follows four steps:
- Situation — What’s happening? What triggered this decision?
- Options & Analysis — What are the alternatives? What does scenario modelling show?
- Decision — What was decided? Who made the call?
- Next Steps — What actions follow? Who’s responsible?
Creating a Governance Case
Describing the Situation
Create a new governance case from the Decisions workspace. Describe the situation: what’s happening, why it matters, and what data supports the assessment. Link to specific engagements or services for context.
Linking to Engagements or Services
Associate the governance case with one or more engagements or services. This enables context-aware analysis and scenario modelling specific to the affected engagements.
Evaluating Options
Scenarios as Decision Options
Link scenarios to the governance case. Each scenario represents a potential course of action. The scenario’s Impact tab shows the projected financial and operational effects.
Comparing Scenario Impacts
Use the comparison view to evaluate scenarios side by side. Key metrics: projected margin change, cost delta, capacity requirement, risk level.
Recording the Decision
Documenting the Chosen Path
Record which option was selected, who made the decision, and the rationale. This becomes part of the permanent audit trail.
Accountability and Audit Trail
Every governance case records who created it, who contributed to analysis, and who made the final decision. The timeline tracks all actions and changes.
Follow-Up
Next Steps and Action Items
After a decision is recorded, add specific action items with owners and due dates. These appear in the responsible person’s attention items on the dashboard.
Risks and Issues Tracking
Link identified risks and issues to the governance case. Track their status as the decision is implemented.
Monitoring Progress via Timeline
The engagement timeline shows governance events alongside check-ins, milestones, and other activities. This provides a complete chronological view of what happened and why.