Clean Escalations
Clean Escalations is a protocol for resolving a decision that is stuck between two people or teams: both sides name the disagreement, set out the options and trade-offs together, and take the question jointly to the nearest person who can decide. It comes from the Atlassian Team Playbook, which rates it as hard and expects it to take three to five days from start to decision. It is a sequence of short conversations spread over those days, not a single workshop, and its aim is a fast decision without damage to the working relationship.
Facilitation script
- 1
Day 1, opening conversation. Name the disagreement, agree to work through it together, and write a one-paragraph problem statement both parties accept.
30 min - 2
Days 1 to 2, options. List the realistic options in a shared document. Each party restates the other's position and the other corrects it until it is right.
45 min - 3
Days 2 to 3, trade-offs. Go through the goals, customers and constraints behind each position and note pros and cons per option. Check whether the parties can now decide themselves.
45 min - 4
Agree the escalation. Confirm that an escalation is needed, identify the nearest decision-maker and book a joint meeting. Send the document in advance.
15 min - 5
Days 4 to 5, escalation meeting. Both parties present the options together, answer questions, and the decision-maker decides or names what is missing.
30 min - 6
Afterwards, retrospective. Review what led to the escalation and agree one change that would reduce the need for the next one.
20 min
Tips
The test of a clean escalation is that the decision-maker hears one account of the problem, written by both sides, and cannot tell from the document who favours which option until they ask.
Agree early which day the escalation meeting will happen, so alignment work does not drag on.
If you facilitate, your main job is to hold the parties to restating each other's position accurately before any option is debated.
Common pitfalls
Going to a manager without telling the other party, which the other side experiences as an ambush and which damages trust well beyond this decision
Each side sending its own version of the story, so the decision-maker has to investigate before deciding and the delay grows
Skipping the restating step, so the parties argue against positions the other side does not actually hold
Escalating straight to a senior leader past the nearest decision-maker, which slows the decision and undermines the managers in between
Reopening the question after the decision because one side did not get its option, which teaches everyone that escalations settle nothing
Variations
For a disagreement between two individuals in the same team, the whole sequence can be compressed into one or two days with the team lead as decision-maker. For cross-department conflicts, each side's manager may need to be involved first, with a joint escalation to their shared manager only if they also disagree. Remote teams run the alignment steps as comments in the shared document and reserve live calls for restating positions and for the escalation meeting itself. Some organisations write the steps into their working agreements so that escalating is treated as normal practice.
Where it fits
When to use it
Two teams have discussed the same decision in several meetings and positions have hardened
Each side has started lobbying its own manager separately, or is about to
The disagreement comes from conflicting goals or constraints that neither party has authority to change
Work is blocked and the cost of waiting is now higher than the cost of involving a manager
Escalation is seen as a personal attack in your organisation and you want to show a better pattern
When not to use it
The parties have not yet talked to each other directly; have that conversation first
The issue is a personal conflict or a matter of conduct, not a decision between options; use mediation or the HR process
One party already has clear authority to decide; clarify decision rights with DACI or a RACI Matrix and let that party decide
The decision is small and easily reversed; agree a time-boxed trial or settle it with a quick Fist of Five
There is a safety, legal or compliance concern; report it through the formal channel at once and do not spend days on alignment
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Clean Escalations?▾
Clean Escalations is a play from the Atlassian Team Playbook for decisions that are stuck between two people or teams. The parties acknowledge the disagreement, document the options and trade-offs together, and bring the question jointly to the nearest decision-maker. The goal is a quick decision that both sides can accept without harm to the relationship.
How long does a clean escalation take?▾
Atlassian gives three to five days: a few days to agree what the disagreement is really about, and another day or two for the escalation itself. The actual meeting time within those days is usually only a few hours. The source does not prescribe a schedule for each day; the day-by-day script and its minutes on this page are our adaptation.
Who needs to be involved?▾
The people driving each side of the issue and their managers, or whoever is the nearest person with authority over both positions. A neutral facilitator is optional but helps when the relationship is already strained.
What makes an escalation clean?▾
Three things: the other party knows about it beforehand, both parties go to the decision-maker together, and they bring one shared description of the options and trade-offs. An escalation done behind someone's back or with competing accounts is the opposite.
Is escalating a sign that the team failed?▾
No. Some disagreements come from conflicting goals that the parties cannot resolve at their level, and waiting costs more than asking. The retrospective at the end is there to find out whether clearer decision rights or priorities would have made the escalation unnecessary.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Atlassian Team Playbook.