Committee decisions with the governance to back them up
Committees make decisions in meetings, between meetings, and through external advisors who don't have a Decisio account. Decisio handles all three — chair decides, consensus, formal vote, and circular resolutions — with a proper record every time.
Delegated authority without a record is just delegation
The chair decided — but there is no record of what was considered
Chair-decides is the right mechanism for many committee decisions. The problem is not how the decision was made — it is that there is no trace of what was presented, what alternatives were weighed, or why the chair reached that conclusion. When someone outside the committee asks for the evidence, the chair is left defending a decision from memory. Efficient decision-making should not come at the cost of defensibility.
Sub-committee recommendations vanish into the thread
An advisory committee spends hours reviewing a matter and forms a considered recommendation. That recommendation is communicated in an email, acknowledged in a reply, and never connected back to the decision it was supposed to inform. Six months later, nobody can find it. The committee did the work — but the work product has no permanent home and no link to the outcome it shaped.
Every committee runs a different process — or no process at all
The finance committee uses email votes. HR tracks decisions in a spreadsheet. The risk committee discusses matters in a meeting and the chair sends a summary afterward. The executive committee just decides things in conversation. There is no consistency, no single system of record, and no way for the organisation to see how delegated authority is actually being exercised. Each committee is a governance island.
Between-meeting decisions passed by email have no formal basis
A matter comes up between scheduled meetings. Someone drafts a proposal and sends it to committee members. Replies trickle in over several days — some responding to all, some to the sender only. There is no quorum check, no formal motion text, no defined threshold, and no immutable record. When the decision is later questioned, there is nothing to produce but an inbox. Circular resolutions should not be email chains.
How a committee uses Decisio
Decisio adapts to how committees actually work — lighter mechanisms for delegated authority, formal votes when the matter demands it, and a proper record regardless.
Organise by committee
Each committee gets its own project within the workspace. Finance committee decisions in one place, personnel matters in another, risk assessments in a third. Private projects keep sensitive committee work visible only to committee members and workspace admins.
Choose the right mechanism
Not every committee decision needs a formal vote. Decisio offers three mechanisms: chair decides for delegated authority, consensus for advisory bodies seeking unanimous agreement, and vote for matters requiring a formal recorded vote with threshold enforcement.
Gather input with structure
Committee members review the exhibits — the reports, analysis, and supporting documents attached to the issue. They discuss in the comment thread. When it is time to decide, they submit their position: a vote, a consensus response, or their input for the chair's consideration.
Resolve and move on
The resolution captures the outcome in a permanent record. If the chair decided, it records what was decided and the evidence considered. If the committee voted, the full breakdown is preserved. If consensus was sought, it shows whether unanimous agreement was reached — a single objection means the motion does not pass.
The right tools for committee governance
Chair decides
For committees with delegated authority where the chair reviews input and makes the call. The decision, the evidence, and the reasoning are all on the record. Available on every plan.
Consensus mechanism
For advisory committees seeking unanimous agreement. Participants agree or object — a single objection means the motion does not pass. The resolution captures the outcome and records where disagreement lies.
Private projects
Keep committee work visible only to its members and workspace admins. Sensitive personnel decisions, executive compensation, and risk assessments stay contained — not exposed to the wider workspace.
External participants
Co-opt advisors, subject matter experts, and external committee members into specific decisions. They join via a secure invite link, vote or provide input, and appear on the permanent record — without needing a Decisio account.
Exhibits
Attach the reports, financial models, legal opinions, and supporting documents the committee needs to make an informed decision. Everything considered is preserved alongside the resolution.
Audit trail
Whether the committee used a formal vote, consensus, or chair decides, the record is the same: every action timestamped and attributed. Delegated authority produces the same governance quality as a board vote.
What committees use Decisio for
Executive committee approvals
Decisions that cannot wait for the next board meeting. The executive committee acts under delegated authority, and the record shows exactly what was decided and why.
Advisory committee recommendations
Capture the committee's recommendation with the evidence and reasoning, linked to the issue it informs. The recommendation has a permanent home, not an email thread.
Finance committee expenditure decisions
Approve expenditure with threshold enforcement, supporting financials attached as exhibits, and an immutable resolution recording the authorisation.
Risk committee assessments
Document risk evaluations with the evidence on the record. When the assessment is revisited later, the original reasoning and the information available at the time are preserved.
Sub-committee reporting
Sub-committee decisions and recommendations are captured in the same system as the decisions they inform. The chain of delegation is visible and traceable.
Circular resolutions
Pass formal resolutions between scheduled meetings without falling back to email chains. Motion text is locked before voting opens, quorum is enforced, and the outcome is immutable — a defensible circular resolution, not a thread of replies.
Committees with external advisors
Invite external specialists, co-opted members, and independent advisors to participate in specific decisions. They access only the issue they are invited to — their input is on the record without giving them access to the wider workspace.
Give your committees a proper governance record
Every committee decision — whether the chair called it, the group agreed, or the members voted — deserves the same governance quality. Start free. Configure the mechanisms that fit each committee's authority.