Team Decision Matrix
The Team Decision Matrix is a card-based exercise from Management 3.0 in which a team agrees, for each type of decision it faces, which decision rule it will use. The five options are one person decides, the majority decides, one or a few decide after consulting those with knowledge or a stake, everyone must agree, or chance decides. The result is a matrix of decision areas against decision rules that the team can refer to when a decision comes up.
Facilitation script
- 1
Explain the purpose and the five rules, with one everyday example for each. Clarify what the consultative card means.
7 min - 2
Collect decision areas on sticky notes, merge duplicates and choose the eight to ten that matter most.
8 min - 3
Play the first area: private choice, simultaneous reveal, outliers explain, agree on a rule. Use it to show the pace.
5 min - 4
Work through the remaining areas the same way, about three minutes each. Park any area that needs more than five minutes.
25 min - 5
Read the finished matrix aloud, return to parked areas, and check that nobody objects to any entry.
8 min - 6
Agree where the matrix will be kept and set a date to review it.
5 min
Tips
Word decision areas concretely: 'choosing a new team tool under a set budget' gets a clearer answer than 'tools'.
Where the cards split, ask the outliers to describe a past decision they had in mind, since disagreement often comes from picturing different cases.
Do not try to cover everything in one sitting; eight to ten areas that cause real friction are worth more than a complete list.
Common pitfalls
Revealing cards one after another, so later players adjust to earlier ones and the real spread of views stays hidden
Decision areas that are too broad, which leads to a rule nobody can apply when a concrete case arrives
Choosing unanimity for most areas because it feels fair, which gives every member a veto and makes the team slower than before
Naming one person as decider without saying who it is or whom they must inform, so the matrix looks clear and the practice is not
Filing the matrix and never reviewing it, so it drifts from how the team actually decides and loses authority
Variations
Management 3.0 labels the five rules aristocracy, democracy, sociocracy, unanimity and random. Its 'sociocracy' card means that one or a few people decide after talking to those who know the subject or are affected, which is looser than formal sociocratic consent; explain that to groups who know Consent Decision-Making. The source names no duration or group size, so the figures here are estimates. Remote teams can use card images on an online whiteboard and reveal by moving them at the same time. Teams that have played Delegation Poker with their manager can use this as the next step for the decisions that were delegated to them.
Where it fits
When to use it
Decisions drag because nobody knows whether the team needs agreement, a vote or one person's call
A team has been given more autonomy and has no manager in the room to settle things
The same decisions keep being reopened by people who felt they were not asked
A new team is writing its working agreements
Some members assume consensus is required for everything and the team is slowing down
When not to use it
The open question is how much authority the manager hands to the team: use Delegation Poker first
You need to make one specific decision now: use the rule directly, for example Fist of Five, Consent Decision-Making or a Decision Matrix for comparing options
The decision areas are fixed by regulation or by the organisation and the team has no say: discussing them only creates false expectations
The team is in open conflict about trust or roles: agreeing on rules will not hold until that is addressed
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Team Decision Matrix?▾
The Team Decision Matrix is a Management 3.0 practice in which a team decides how it will decide. For each decision area, members privately pick one of five decision rules, reveal their cards together and agree on one. The outcome is a table of decision areas and the rule that applies to each.
What are the five decision rules?▾
One person decides on behalf of the team, the majority decides by vote, one or a few people decide after consulting those with knowledge or a stake, everyone must agree, or the choice is left to chance. Management 3.0 calls these aristocracy, democracy, sociocracy, unanimity and random.
How is the Team Decision Matrix different from Delegation Poker?▾
Delegation Poker clarifies how much authority a manager passes to a team or person, on seven levels. The Team Decision Matrix assumes the team holds the decision and settles how the members decide among themselves. They work well in sequence.
Do we need the official cards?▾
No. Management 3.0 offers its own cards, but five index cards per person with the rule names written on them work just as well. On an online whiteboard, five labelled shapes per participant do the same job.
Does the team need a facilitator?▾
It helps. Management 3.0 notes that a facilitator is useful because there is no manager in the team to guide the discussion. Someone neutral can keep the reveal simultaneous, keep time per area and stop a few voices from settling every row.
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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 Management 3.0.