A compact agenda for choosing among prepared options without spending the meeting reading background material.
Use when
A named decision owner has two or three credible options and the participants have enough context to test the trade-offs.
Avoid when
The problem is still being discovered, key evidence is missing, or the people in the room cannot make or authorize the decision.
Copy the template
30-MINUTE DECISION MEETING
Decision: [Write the choice that must be made]
Decision owner: [Name]
Participants: [Only people needed to advise or decide]
Pre-read: [Link]
00:00–00:03 Reconfirm the decision, constraints, and decision rule
00:03–00:08 Clarifying questions about the pre-read
00:08–00:20 Test options against the agreed criteria
00:20–00:25 Decision owner states the decision and rationale
00:25–00:30 Confirm actions, owners, due dates, and communication
Decision: [Complete during meeting]
Actions: [Owner + deliverable + date]
Open questions: [Only unresolved items]
Send the decision before the invite
Participants should know the exact choice, available options, constraints, and decision owner. If the prompt is merely ‘discuss the launch,’ the timebox will be consumed defining the problem.
Keep clarifying questions separate from advocacy
Use the first working block to correct factual misunderstandings. Evaluate options only after everyone is using the same inputs and criteria.
Protect the close
The last five minutes are not spare discussion time. Read back the decision, rationale, actions, owners, and dates while corrections can still be made.
Before you use it
One decision is stated as a question or choice
The decision owner is present
Options and evidence are available before the meeting
Participants know whether they advise, consent, or decide
