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04 — Independent Decision Intelligence (IDI)

Are we answering the right question? Not every problem announces itself.

Independent Decision Intelligence is a bounded, independent examination of a decision, assumption, recurring difficulty or proposed course of action, to find the material question that has not yet entered the room. It examines three broad situations:

IDI is distinct from a conventional assignment in which the client has already defined the problem and asks a specialist to solve it. IDI first tests whether there is an important question that has not yet been asked or adequately answered.

Who might use IDI?

Owners, directors, investors, lenders, insurers, advisers and professional practitioners who need an independent perspective on consequential assumptions, exposures or opportunities.

What it is — and what it is not

What it is

  • A decision instrument, applied before or during a consequential choice.
  • Independent and cross-disciplinary.
  • Built for your specific decision, not a standard checklist.
  • Bounded in scope.

What it is not

  • Another audit.
  • A legal opinion, valuation or engineering certification.
  • An environmental authorisation or specialist scientific opinion.
  • A substitute for your regulated specialists.

A staged engagement

  1. Decision · Gate 0

    Initial decision

    Agree the question, available information and scope of a limited initial assessment.

  2. Work · Stage 0

    Initial IDI assessment

    A bounded desktop examination of available information, followed by a 30-minute discussion, identification of potentially material unanswered questions and a recommendation on whether further work is warranted.

  3. Decision · Gate 1

    Review

    Review the Stage 0 findings and decide whether a more detailed examination is justified, and on what terms.

  4. Work · Stage 1

    Detailed examination

    A separately scoped and quoted assignment to examine the matters identified.

These are the opening gates and stages, not a fixed end point. Any subsequent gates, stages or intervention are determined by the nature of the problem, the evidence obtained and separate agreement with the client.

Staged engagements — proceed only when the next step is justified. Each completed stage produces findings and informs the next decision gate. The client may proceed, pause or stop at each decision point. There is no predetermined number of stages and no automatic commitment to an entire programme.

Professional engagements

Ravenscroft Economics offers an initial consultation to establish the nature of the proposed assignment and whether Independent Decision Intelligence may be appropriate.

Where further professional work is warranted, the scope, deliverables, fee and payment arrangements are agreed in advance of commencement.

The first engagement

Client input
A short intake form, a bounded set of existing documents and, where useful, a focused online discussion of approximately 30 minutes.
Assessment
Independent examination of the agreed decision, assumptions and information within a bounded initial scope.
Deliverable
A concise written Decision Intelligence Note identifying potentially material questions or information gaps and a proportionate recommendation.
Timing
Delivery date confirmed at intake, once the scope and information are agreed.

What you receive

  1. 01A clearer statement of the decision or uncertainty being examined.
  2. 02Potentially material questions or information gaps specific to your circumstances.
  3. 03A distinction between what the information supports and what remains uncertain.
  4. 04A recommendation to stop, continue, redirect or consider a separately scoped next stage.
Download the Client Information (PDF)Book a 30-Minute Discussion

Ten illustrative questions

These examples are here to stimulate thought. They are not a checklist, a promised scope of work or Ravenscroft Economics’ internal analytical framework. The questions used in an engagement are developed for your particular decision.

  1. 01

    Are we measuring the right variable before making this decision?

  2. 02

    Which assumption would most affect the outcome if it proved incorrect?

  3. 03

    What information exists in one part of the organisation but is unavailable to another?

  4. 04

    Which external dependency could prevent delivery to customers?

  5. 05

    Does an inherited asset correspond with the records on which management relies?

  6. 06

    Could a small expenditure avoid a substantial recurring cost?

  7. 07

    Has a change outside the organisation altered the validity of an earlier decision?

  8. 08

    Which profitable opportunity falls between departmental responsibilities?

  9. 09

    What important question has not been allocated to any adviser?

  10. 10

    What would justify stopping rather than spending more?

Every engagement is fully independent. Conclusions follow the evidence, not the fee.