SCAR Advantage™
Decision Intervention Dashboard
Two simple rules. Track what changes over 30 days.
Phase 1
Diagnose the Pattern
Establish a clear baseline for one costly decision reflex.
Name the costly reflex
"We still escalate routine operational decisions to the CEO and Exco when under pressure."
Three years ago a regional GM approved a supplier contract that went badly wrong, R8M write-off and a board enquiry. The CEO responded by requiring Exco sign-off on all supplier commitments above R200k. That threshold was never revised. Today, VPs route 15–20 approvals per week to Exco that belong at divisional level. The CEO spends roughly 6 hours per week on decisions that aren't hers. Two strong VPs have cited this as a reason for considering leaving.
Map the scar
Origin, response, and what remains.
What happened?
A regional GM approved a supplier contract without proper due diligence. The supplier underdelivered, resulting in an R8M write-off and a formal board enquiry. The CEO was blindsided and held personally accountable by the board.
What did we do?
Introduced mandatory Exco approval for all supplier commitments above R200k. Removed delegated authority from regional GMs and VPs for contract sign-off. Added a weekly Exco review slot for pending approvals.
What are we still doing?
The R200k threshold remains unchanged despite 40% revenue growth. Average turnaround on supplier approvals: 11 days. The original GM left the business 18 months ago.
Where is this reflex showing up now?
Arenas, where the reflex is showing up and creating consequences today.
Money
People
Systems
KPIs
Politics
Values
Profit pressure
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Phase 2
Design Two Simple Rules
Replace the old pattern with two guardrails that govern decisions for the next 30 days.
Draft your rules
Rule 1:
VPs approve all supplier commitments up to R1.5M within their division. No Exco sign-off required unless the commitment crosses two or more business units.
Rule 2:
Any approval not actioned within 48 hours defaults to approved, unless the VP has formally flagged it for risk review with documented criteria.
Guardrail templates
- →Always X unless Y, e.g. Always approve below R500k unless it crosses two business units
- →Only Z when W, e.g. Only escalate to Exco when the impact note exceeds the agreed risk threshold
- →Decide within T with C (criteria), e.g. Decide within 48 hours with explicit rejection criteria documented
Stress-test with one real scenario
Apply your two rules to a decision you're currently facing
"When a VP receives a R900k logistics supplier renewal, our two rules mean we will approve at divisional level without Exco involvement, within 48 hours, within the VP's existing authority."
Tested against three live approvals currently in the Exco queue. All three fall within a single division and below R1.5M. Under the new rules, none of them would have reached Exco. One has been waiting 9 days. The rules hold. Edge case identified: joint ventures involving two divisions would still require Exco, this is appropriate and covered by Rule 1.
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Phase 3
Track the 30-Day Loop
Apply the rules in live decisions. Measure what changes. Adjust if needed.
Team / Unit
Executive Committee + 4 Divisional VPs
Owner
CFO (sponsor), COO (operational lead)
Workflow / Scenario
Supplier commitment approvals, escalation to Exco
Time window
15 Jan – 15 Feb 2026
Primary metric
Choose the metric most affected by this scar
Decision speed (hrs/days)
Executive escalation frequency
Margin or cost variance
Baseline (now)
15–20 approvals escalated to Exco per week. Average turnaround: 11 days. CEO time: ~6 hrs/week.
Target (after 30 days)
≤5 escalations to Exco per week (cross-divisional only). Turnaround: ≤48 hrs. CEO time: ≤1 hr/week.
Tripwire, if not moving by Day 7
If escalation count has not dropped below 12/week by Day 7, the COO will hold a 30-minute session with VPs to identify which approvals are still being routed upward and why. If the issue is confidence rather than governance, we revisit the R1.5M threshold.
Weekly check-ins (15 min)
What helped? What blocked?
Week 1
Escalations dropped to 9. Three VPs applied rules immediately. One VP still routing everything up, COO had a direct conversation. CEO reported two hours freed up.
Week 2
Down to 6 escalations. Operations VP now applying rules. One edge case surfaced: a R1.2M commitment spanning two divisions, correctly escalated under Rule 1. Average turnaround now 3 days.
Week 3
4 escalations this week, all genuinely cross-divisional. CEO spent 40 minutes total on supplier approvals. Finance confirmed no increase in approval errors.
Week 4
3 escalations. Turnaround averaging 1.5 days. Both at-risk VPs noted the change has made a tangible difference to their autonomy. No approval errors or risk incidents.
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Phase 4
Scoreboard
Track only what matters. Keep it visible.
| Week | Decision speed | Margin variance | Exec. escalations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 11 days avg | · | 17/week | CEO: ~6 hrs/week |
| Week 1 | 7 days | · | 9/week ↓ | 1 VP still routing up |
| Week 2 | 3 days ↓ | · | 6/week ↓ | Edge case handled cleanly |
| Week 3 | 2 days ↓ | · | 4/week ↓ | CEO: 40 min total |
| Week 4 | 1.5 days ↓ | · | 3/week ↓ | CEO: <30 min. Zero errors. |
30-Day Outcome
Executive escalations reduced by 82% (17 → 3/week). Decision turnaround improved from 11 days to 1.5 days. CEO recovered approximately 5.5 hours per week. No approval errors or risk incidents during the loop. Both at-risk VPs cited restored autonomy as a meaningful retention factor.
Reinforce, what becomes the default?
Based on 30 days of evidence, what new reflexes must this team carry forward?
Rule 1 becomes permanent policy: VP authority for single-division supplier commitments up to R1.5M, with a scheduled annual review of the threshold tied to revenue growth.
Rule 2 becomes permanent: 48-hour default-to-approved with documented exception process. Finance to monitor quarterly for any emerging risk patterns.
The weekly Exco approval slot is retired. Cross-divisional commitments above R1.5M retain Exco review, but with a 48-hour turnaround expectation.
Decision Stewardship activated to monitor for recurrence, particularly during board scrutiny or when new Exco members join.
Signature
COO
Date
15 February 2026
One scar resolved. What comes next?
Decision Stewardship protects this resolution over time, watching for pattern recurrence as conditions shift.
See Decision Stewardship in action →SCAR Advantage™ Dashboard is the proprietary intellectual property of David Maclean Education Advisory (Pty) Ltd and is licensed for internal use only. By using this dashboard, you agree not to reproduce, adapt, or use its workflows, prompts, or structures for external training, consulting, or commercial purposes without written permission.