Guide · Leadership decisions
DACI vs RAPID: how leadership teams actually make decisions
DACI and RAPID both answer the same question: who decides. DACI uses four roles and suits decisions with one clear owner. RAPID uses five, with an explicit veto and escalation path, and suits cross-functional calls. Neither closes the decision. For that you need a named sign-off, an agreed rule, a deadline and a record.
Last updated: 3 November 2026
Why leadership decisions stay open
Every leadership team has a version of the same problem: a decision that everyone discussed, nobody closed, and someone reopened three weeks later. The quarterly budget sits in a shared doc with six comment threads. The hire/no-hire call drifts past its deadline because one board member hasn’t weighed in. The roadmap “decision” was a presentation that ended with “let’s align offline”. The cause is rarely disagreement. It is the absence of three things: a framework that names who decides, a deadline that forces the call, and a record that shows it happened.
What is the DACI framework?
DACI assigns four roles to every decision:
- Driver: owns the process. Frames the decision, gathers input, sets the timeline and makes sure it closes. Does not have the final say.
- Approver: has the final say. One person, or a defined group. The Approver can overrule the group when it can't agree.
- Contributors: give input, analysis or expertise. They shape the decision but don't make it.
- Informed: told once the decision is made. They don't take part in the process.
DACI in practice. A VP of Product has to choose between a native mobile app and extending the web app. She is the Driver. The CTO is the Approver, because the call affects architecture and resourcing. Contributors are the heads of engineering (feasibility), design (user experience) and sales (what customers ask for). The CEO, CFO and the rest of the leadership team are Informed. The Driver frames the question, collects input for a week and takes a recommendation to the CTO, who makes the call.
DACI works best when authority is clear and the decision has a single natural owner.
What is the RAPID framework?
RAPID, developed by Bain & Company, assigns five roles:
- Recommend: builds the case and proposes a course of action, with the data and the options modelled.
- Agree: must formally agree before the decision moves forward, or escalate it. This is a veto role, and a disagreement goes to the Decide role.
- Perform: carries out the decision once it is made. Named up front so delivery doesn't stall.
- Input: consulted for expertise or data, like Contributors in DACI.
- Decide: makes the final call, including when Recommend and Agree disagree.
RAPID in practice. A COO needs a new CRM. The RevOps lead Recommends: she evaluates three vendors and proposes one. The CFO must Agree: they review the cost model and sign off or escalate. The sales team lead will Perform the migration. Marketing and customer success give Input on integrations. The COO Decides, including if the CFO objects to the cost.
RAPID works best for cross-functional decisions where several stakeholders have a legitimate reason to block, and you need a clear escalation path.
DACI vs RAPID: when to use which
Both make sure a decision has one person who can close it. The wrong choice is not picking one.
The missing step: the sign-off
DACI and RAPID name roles. They don't close the decision.
In practice the Approver or Decide role says yes in a meeting and someone writes it up afterwards. There is no structured sign-off, no deadline, and no dated record of what was agreed under which rule. That matters when a board member says “I never approved that budget” next quarter, when a hiring call drags because one panel member hasn’t responded, or when nobody can find the go/no-go decision from six weeks ago. The framework tells you who decides. You still need a step that closes the decision.
How to close a leadership decision with a deadline
1. Frame the question as a choice, not a discussion
“Do we make an offer to Priya for Head of Finance?” beats “Let's discuss the hiring situation.” Give two to six concrete options, so the people signing off pick one instead of reopening the debate.2. Name who signs off
In DACI that is the Approver, plus any Contributors whose buy-in you need on the record. In RAPID it is the Agree and Decide roles. Everyone else is Informed: they get the result, not a say.3. Agree the sign-off rule
Majority when the group is choosing between options, such as a budget. Unanimity when one objection should stop it, such as a hiring panel. One accountable owner decides when the others only advise. Write the rule down before anyone responds.4. Set a deadline
Leadership decisions without a deadline don't close. A day or two is enough for most calls. When the deadline passes, the decision either meets its rule or goes back to the owner. It doesn't sit open.5. Collect the sign-off without a meeting
Each person should be able to respond on their own time, in their browser, without an account, an app or a calendar slot. Chasing replies in email threads is where most leadership decisions stall.6. Keep the record
The question, the options, the rule, the outcome and when it closed, in one place you can find three months later. Not buried in an email chain or a meeting note.
Copy-paste leadership sign-off request
Decision: [One question, worded as a choice]
Options: [2 to 6 concrete options]
Framework roles: [Approver or Decide], with sign-off from [Agree roles or key Contributors]
Rule: [Majority / Unanimous / Owner decides]
Sign-off closes: [day, time]. If the rule isn't met by then, [owner] makes the call.
Informed: [who gets the result]
Where Settle for Teams fits
Settle for Teams runs the sign-off step for either framework. Three shipped templates map to leadership decisions: Budget choice (Majority, 1 week), Hire or no-hire (Unanimity, 24 hours) and Go or no-go (Unanimity, 24 hours) for launch sign-off.
Hire or no-hire, in the Founders & leadership group, asks “Do we make an offer to [candidate] for [role]?” with two options, Hire: make the offer and No hire: don’t proceed. Under Unanimity, every panel member must approve the same answer or it escalates to you. The Go or no-go template asks “Do we launch [release] on [date]?” with Go: launch as planned and No-go: hold the launch. You can edit everything before sending.
Settle for Teams costs $199 a month per workspace, with no per-seat fees, 25 managed decisions a month and a 7-day free trial.
Why you need a decision log
A decision log answers three questions later: what did we decide, under which rule, and when. Most teams have meeting notes and email threads instead, which are effectively unsearchable after a month. Each entry should hold:
- The question, worded as a choice
- The options that were on the table
- The rule it was decided under
- The outcome: the option chosen, or that it went back to the owner
- How many people were asked and how many approved each option
- The date and time it closed
In Settle for Teams every closed decision has a record, and you can search and filter your decision history, label decisions by client or project, and export it as a JSON file.
Leadership decision questions
What is the difference between DACI and RAPID?
DACI has four roles (Driver, Approver, Contributors, Informed) and works best when one person clearly owns the decision. RAPID has five (Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide), adds an explicit veto and escalation path, and names who delivers. DACI is simpler; RAPID suits cross-functional decisions where several people can block.
How do I choose between DACI and RAPID?
Use DACI when the decision has one natural owner. Use RAPID when several stakeholders have a legitimate right to block and you need a clear escalation path. If you're unsure, start with DACI: it is easier to adopt, and you can add Agree and Perform roles later.
What should a leadership decision log include?
At minimum: the question, the options considered, the rule, the outcome, how many people signed off and the date it closed. A useful log is searchable by keyword, date and project.
How do I get a leadership team to adopt a decision framework?
Start with one recurring decision, such as the quarterly budget or a hiring panel, and run it through the framework once. The value shows when someone asks “did we approve that?” three months later and you have a dated answer.
What happens when a leadership decision misses its deadline?
Under DACI the Approver makes the call with the input available. Under RAPID the Decide role does. In Settle for Teams, a decision that hasn't met its rule by the deadline closes as Escalated and comes back to you with the reason, so you make the final call. It doesn't sit open.
Close your next leadership decision on the record
Every stakeholder gets a private link, Settle reminds the quiet ones and closes it at your deadline. 7-day free trial, then $199/month with no per-seat fees.
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