Decision-making

Decision circles

The format we use at Thomann.io for making better decisions together is based on Decision Circles (DCs).

A decision circle is a temporary group of people that has decision-making authority over a clearly defined topic. This authority is explicitly granted by a sponsor (e.g. management). This structured format helps us to make high-impact decisions fast and distributed.

There is a Notion documentation dedicated to explaining decision circles, the included roles, and the decision process in detail.

Documenting outcomes

Decision Records (DRs) are the way we document important decisions - and the reasoning behind them. They are a simple and pragmatic tool to capture why a decision was made and avoid repeated debates.

All Decision Records are stored in our Decision Records Database in Notion.

Transparency

We aim to have the decision-making process and the documented outcomes public (i.e., accessible by every team member) by default. Exceptions prove the rule.

More Information

This handbook page only outlines the existence of our decision making process. However, to avoid duplication and strive for high maintainability, please use Notion as a reference for more details.