The Altrion Decision Framework™

Five stages. One board-ready decision.

High-consequence FM decisions are rarely simple, and they are rarely easy to reverse. The framework exists to make sure the right problem is understood, the right options are evaluated, and the decision that emerges is one the board can stand behind.

Are we making the right FM decision, for the right reasons, with the right evidence, before we commit?

01 Diagnose
02 Define
03 Evaluate
04 Decide
05 Justify

Why a framework at all

The presenting issue is usually only part of the problem

Costs may look too high. But the root cause may be scope, specification, governance, supplier capability, demand management, or the operating model itself. Procure against the wrong diagnosis and you will run a flawless process to the wrong answer.

The framework is deliberately sequential. Each stage closes off a specific way these decisions go wrong, and nothing moves forward until the stage before it holds. It is the same structure whether the engagement runs for two weeks or ten.

The cost of a poor diagnosis, in wasted resource, lost time, and contracts that prove difficult to unwind, typically dwarfs the cost of getting the diagnosis right first.

Diagnose

Identify the complete real issue, not simply the presenting symptoms.

What happens

We establish what the presenting issue is genuinely about. It could be supplier performance, scope, governance, pricing, demand management, operating model design, other factors, or more likely a combination of them. Through stakeholder interviews, commercial assessment and performance analysis, we build an independent picture of what is actually driving the problem.

What goes wrong without it

Organisations procure, renew or transform around the wrong problem, then spend years managing a contract that was never going to fix it.

What you receive

Decision Risk Heatmap
Root Cause Summary

Define

Establish what a successful outcome actually looks like.

What happens

We align leadership around what the decision needs to achieve commercially, operationally and strategically, and how success will be measured, before any options are evaluated. This is the stage most often skipped under time pressure, and the one that quietly determines whether the rest of the process can hold together.

What goes wrong without it

Different stakeholders evaluate the same options against different criteria, and genuine alignment becomes progressively harder to reach the further the process runs.

What you receive

Agreed objectives
Success criteria signed off by key stakeholders

Evaluate

Identify and assess every credible option.

What happens

We identify and assess all viable options capable of meeting the objectives and achieving the success criteria, testing each consistently rather than building a case for a preferred answer. That includes the option of doing nothing, and the option the incumbent would rather you did not examine.

What goes wrong without it

Most poor decisions come from evaluating too few options, or from failing to assess them consistently against the criteria agreed at the previous stage.

What you receive

Structured options assessment
Benefits, opportunities, costs and risks for each option

Decide

Apply independent judgement.

What happens

We apply independent judgement to the diagnostic findings, the agreed objectives and the evaluated options, to identify the path that delivers the greatest value and best fits the organisation's strategy. Data informs decisions; judgement makes them. This is where independent challenge matters most, and where an adviser with something to sell is least useful to you.

What goes wrong without it

The analysis is sound but nobody will own the call, so the decision defaults to the loudest stakeholder or the incumbent's proposal.

What you receive

A clear, evidence-based decision
The rationale required to defend it internally and at board level

Justify

Build the case for action.

What happens

We develop the business case, the financial rationale and the board-ready materials needed to secure approval and move with confidence. The output is written so your leadership team can own it and present it as their own, rather than tabling a consultant's report.

What goes wrong without it

Even the right decision stalls, or gets unpicked in the boardroom, without the right narrative and evidence behind it.

What you receive

Board paper and executive summary
Governance recommendations

How it is applied

The same framework, scaled to the decision

A decision already in motion needs the first stages fast. A board-level commitment needs all five, end to end.

1 to 3 weeks

Critical FM Decision Review

Stages one to four, compressed. Whether the decision in front of you is commercially sound, where the hidden risk sits, and what the board can back with confidence.

4 to 10 weeks

Strategic FM Decision Advisory

All five stages, end to end, for a high-consequence decision that needs a full case for action and a board paper behind it.

Not ready for a full review? A one-day FM Decision Diagnostic gives you a first independent read on the decision, and tells you whether anything more is justified. The detailed methodology behind each stage, including worked examples, is shared with clients during an engagement. To see how your own decision scores against the five stages, take the two-minute Decision Risk Check.

Next step

Start with a conversation

Without charge and without obligation, about the decision your organisation is facing. Thirty minutes will tell you whether independent challenge would change how you approach it.

Book time on Calendly Email me directly

I take on a limited number of engagements at any one time. If a decision is approaching, the best time to talk is before the process builds momentum.