COMPEL Glossary / decision-rights
Decision Rights
Decision rights are formally documented authorities specifying who can approve what within the AI transformation program.
What this means in practice
COMPEL defines decision rights at three levels: Strategic decisions (budget allocation, portfolio prioritization, stage gate approvals) owned by the Steering Committee; Operational decisions (project staffing, technical architecture, vendor selections) owned by the CoE Director; and Execution decisions (implementation approaches, day-to-day resource allocation) owned by project leads within defined guardrails. Each role lead has genuine authority within their domain -- they decide, not merely recommend -- but authority is bounded by governance mechanisms that prevent any single role from making decisions that should involve other perspectives. Ambiguity in decision rights is the leading cause of governance paralysis in AI transformation.
Why it matters
Ambiguity in decision rights is the leading cause of governance paralysis in AI transformation. When no one is clearly authorized to make a decision, progress stalls. When everyone believes they have authority, conflicts multiply. Formally documented decision rights ensure that the right people make the right decisions at the right level, preventing both bottlenecks and unauthorized actions that can derail transformation programs.
How COMPEL uses it
COMPEL defines decision rights at three levels: strategic (Steering Committee), operational (CoE Director), and execution (project leads within guardrails). During Organize, decision rights are formally documented as part of the governance structure. The Model stage designs decision authority for new governance bodies. Each role lead has genuine authority within their domain, bounded by governance mechanisms that prevent unilateral decisions on cross-cutting matters.
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Related Terms
Other glossary terms mentioned in this entry's definition and context.