Who recommends? Who provides input? Who needs to agree? Who decides? Who executes? RAPID clarifies the five roles that can turn decision ambiguity into action: https://atbain.co/4hQpbCc
Bain & Company RAPID is missing a critical component of wise decision making - consequences mapping. Downstream effects of decision making are as important as its immediate impact.
Clear decision-making roles are important, but so is what happens after the decision is made. The people responsible for execution often discover things that weren’t apparent when the original decision was approved. Their ability to bring that information back into the process, and leadership’s willingness to act on it, can be just as important as getting the original decision right. A strong decision-making process shouldn’t end when the decision is made.
RAPID solves a problem I’ve seen repeatedly with RACI: teams rarely agree on the difference between “Consulted” and “Informed.” Anchoring roles to a single decision makes input far more deliberate. In my experience, the piece that needs reinforcing is accountability after the decision is made. Naming the Decider as the outcome owner, not just the decision owner, has helped us keep execution tied to the original intent. Bain & Company the decider is accountable for outcome?
Decision making often stalls not because people lack expertise, but because nobody has made it clear who owns the final call.
Clear decision-making starts with defining who contributes input, who makes the final call, and who is responsible for execution. RAPID provides a practical framework for reducing confusion, improving accountability, and helping teams move from discussion to action more efficiently.
AI can strengthen executive decision making, but it cannot replace human judgement and accountability. At VERIQO AI, we believe the real value of AI lies in challenging assumptions, evaluating risks and helping leaders make better informed decisions. The goal is not more answers. It is better decisions.
Who communicates each of these steps, and to whom? How does that happen? The roles tend to be the easy part to agree. What gets lost is the reasoning, as a decision moves from Input to Decide to Perform, and that is often where execution starts to drift. There seem to be lots of smaller decisions at each step that need explaining - and communicating.
Ho visto RAPID funzionare quando ho collaborato con Bain & Company in Bormioli. La lezione principale: non serve un grande investimento, serve disciplina. Un solo Decisore per ogni decisione, pochi ruoli con potere di approvazione (A) e solo per i vincoli veri come legale e budget, chi Esegue (P) coinvolto prima e non dopo, chi dà Input (I) ascoltato ma senza veto, chi Raccomanda (R) responsabile di portare una proposta chiara. Nelle PMI, dove il titolare decide su tutto, può fare davvero la differenza.
💯 Timely action matters, and execution drives the real impact. Of these 5 important RAPID pillars, I believe that "P" Performing on a Decision is the most critical. A strategic plan only creates value when it translates into action and delivers results. "Proper Action not taken = a Good Decision never made"
Measure the result against anticipated outcome.