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Decision Rights

What is Decision Rights?

The defined authority and responsibility for making specific types of decisions within an organization's governance framework.

Governance

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as decision rights. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on decision rights

Requirements naming decision rights across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Centralised decision making cannot keep pace in VUCA conditions. Leaders must distribute authority to those closest to the work, with clear decision rights, escalation paths and shared intent.

VUCA-12 · Distributed Authority and Decision Rights

Establish policies, decision rights, and accountabilities for the proper management of data assets across the organization.

DG-1 · Data Governance Strategy
COBIT 20191 control

Provide a structured approach to ensure optimal structuring, placement, decision rights, and skills of human resources.

APO07 · Managed Human Resources

A data governance operating model with governance bodies, decision rights and escalation paths is established and operated.

DCAM-4.1 · Data Governance Operating Model

Heifetz DIAGNOSING THE SYSTEM. KEY DIAGNOSTIC PRACTICES: (1) GETTING ON THE BALCONY - the metaphor of stepping back from the dance floor of action to observe the system from a higher vantage point;

Heifetz-Diagnosing-Balcony-Stakeholder-Authority · Heifetz Diagnosing the System - Getting on the Balcony, Stakeholder Mapping, Formal and Informal Authority

Establish governance structures, procedures, and decision rights for sustainable procurement.

ISO20400-6.1 · Governing procurement

Questions people ask about decision rights

What is Decision Rights?
The defined authority and responsibility for making specific types of decisions within an organization's governance framework.
Why is Decision Rights important for compliance?
Decision Rights is a key concept in Governance. Understanding decision rights helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Decision Rights?
Decision Rights appears in the requirement text of VUCA Leadership Framework, DAMA-DMBOK2 - Data Management Body of Knowledge (2nd Edition), COBIT 2019, EDM Council DCAM - Data Management Capability Assessment Model, Heifetz Adaptive Leadership Framework. Across these standards we have identified 7 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Decision Rights?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how decision rights applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Decision Rights applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.