ATC TEMPLATE 04 DECISION PAPER
Question to answer: Should we do this?
(This is a stand-alone document that summarises the Project Idea, Business Case and Project Initiation Document (PID).)
WHAT IS THE CHANGE
| Project Name: | |
| Why should we prioritise this change? | (This section is the executive summary which should provide concise details of the issue, the recommended action and expected benefits. Additional detail can be included in supporting documents.) Situation Recommended change Benefits (i.e. the reasons that this merits a decision). |
| How much time and effort will this take? | (This section should include detail key issues like time and resources - additional detail is needed this can be included in supporting documents. |
| How does this fit in with our strategy & our change programme? | (How does this change fit into the bigger picture? Please draw a clear link between this change, the strategy and the change programme). |
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS
| What are the financial implications? | (This section should detail costs v benefits and note the cash-flow implications. It may be co-authored by the Finance Team who will validate any necessary figures.) Financial Cost Financial Benefit Net Impact Source of funding Cash flow implications |
| What are the implications for Governance, Audit, Compliance & Risk? | (This section should refer to risks and where relevant refer to the risk noted in the risk log and the risk rating.) |
| What are the implications for our competitive position and reputation? | (This section should refer to market impact/ customer impact, possibly regulatory or political risk.) |
| What are the implications for Ops, Health & Safety, Helpdesk & Facilities? | (This section should refer to any changes to equipment, processes and procedures in store/care sites. If there will be an ongoing contractual arrangement with a supplier, this should be detailed here.) |
| What are the implications for HR, L&D and Training? | (This section should detail any HR implications for recruitment, manpower, costs, roles & responsibilities, training etc.) |
| What are the implications for IT, Data & Info-Security? | (This section should detail any IT implications on hardware, software, licensing, info-security, data etc. If there will be an ongoing service level agreement or support contract with a supplier, this should be detailed here.) |
WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDATION
| Recommendation / Action Required | This section should summarize the action or decision which is being sought. This Decision Paper is asking the Exec Sponsor/Team to NOTE the following This Decision Paper is asking the Exec Sponsor/Team to say YES to the following actions |
| Supporting Papers | This section should summarize any relevant supporting documents or past decisions. |
WHAT IS THE DECISION
| Actions Agreed / Notes from Meeting | This will be completed from the Minutes of each of the Meeting where discussed so as to provide a record of where the discussion is in process. |
GUIDANCE
This is an explanation of the proposed Decision Paper Process
The following steps are proposed.
The template Decision Paper is completed by the author/sponsor. This is then circulated to key stakeholders for their review and approval to ensure that all the information is correct, any supporting papers are appended, and there is consensus on issues and recommendations before the Decision Paper is presented to the next Executive Team meeting.
The draft Decision Paper goes to the Strategy, Projects and Change Office to support and co-ordinate. This is to check that the Decision Paper is properly complete and circulated at least 5 days before the next Executive Team meeting, giving people the opportunity to read and think in advance. The Decision Paper may be classified as secure, confidential or secret and will be held according to that classification.
The Executive Team reviews the Decision Paper and will accept, reject or revise the paper (possibly asking for changes or further information). The Decision Paper and the outcome is then logged/filed with copies to the necessary people to effect agreed actions.
In some cases, following the Executive Team meeting the scale or seriousness of the decision may mean that the Decision Paper is then escalated for a Board decision. This follows a similar process to that described above and offers transparency on the step-by-step process from author > sponsor > Executive Team > Board
This is the proposed criteria for when a Decision Paper might be required:
IF
| Less Than 5000 | Decision Paper not required |
| 5000 - 25,000 | Decision required to be endorsed by Sponsor (line report executive only) |
| 25,000 - 200,000 | Decision required to be endorsed by Sponsor and [Organisation Name] Exec |
| Above 200,000 | Decision required to be endorsed by Board |
OR
If the Project/Proposal has a significant cross-functional impact on product, process or resources
OR
If the EMT decide there should be a Decision Paper
