DECISION AUDIT
THE SYSTEM WORKS.
THE DECISION MAY NOT.
A practical method for examining AI-influenced decisions before they drive action.
Find out where judgment is strong, where it is weak, and what deserves attention.
Prefer to start with your team? Explore a Judgment Lab.
One real decisionScoped to what matters most
Written findingsWith a review conversation
Virtual or on-siteFacilitated personally by Alen Mayer
THE PROBLEM
Your AI is probably being checked. Is the decision around it?
Most organizations ask whether their AI is accurate, secure and compliant. Far fewer ask whether the decision built around its output is sound.
Priorities shift because a score said so.
Human review exists, but its real authority is unclear.
Attention follows what the system can measure.
AI may influence the decision. Responsibility for it remains human. So do the consequences.
WHY THIS IS HARD TO SEE
The people closest to a decision have the least distance from it.
A confident output discourages questions. Defaults become habits, and habits are rarely examined.
Technical reviews check the model. Nobody owns the judgment around it.
THE SOLUTION
The Better Judgment Decision Audit.
We examine one real decision at the three moments where human judgment enters.
THE THREE MOMENTS
Where judgment enters an AI-influenced decision.
What does the evidence actually support?
What deserves action?
The questions may sound straightforward. The difficulty is examining them against real evidence, across different roles, without existing assumptions, hierarchy or the system's own framing deciding the answer.
WHAT THE AUDIT REVEALS
A clear view of the judgment behind the decision.
Today, most organizations assume their decision is sound. The audit lets you know.
Where judgment is strongWhat is sound, and worth protecting.
Where it is weakWhat has been assumed, inherited or left unexamined.
Where assumptions or authority need attentionWhat the organization may be relying on without having decided to.
What to keep, change or escalatePractical next steps, not a list of everything that could be improved.
Who owns the next stepEvery action has an owner and a date.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
Not client cases.
An organization uses AI to rank sales accounts. The ranking performs exactly as designed. The audit asks what the organization has built around that ranking, and whether anyone decided it should.
An AI system recommends how to allocate capacity across the business. The recommendations follow the rules it was given. The audit asks whether those rules capture what leadership actually needs to protect.
A company uses AI to score candidates. A manager reviews every shortlist before anyone is hired. The audit asks whether that manager is really deciding, or mainly approving what the system has already shaped.
An AI system rates borrowers by risk, and the ratings influence approval limits and review priority. The ratings behave as intended. The audit asks what a rating actually supports, and what decisions the organization has allowed it to drive.
WHAT THE ENGAGEMENT LOOKS LIKE
One decision. Four steps.
Identify
A free 30-minute conversation to identify the decision most worth examining.
Prepare
Preparation using real material from that decision.
Examine
A facilitated working session with the people closest to it.
Report
Written findings and a review conversation.
WHAT IT IS, AND WHAT IT IS NOT
It examines the decision around AI.
It does not certify the technology, the vendor, the model, compliance or technical performance.
It is neutral on AI. Sometimes the finding is that the decision is sound.
WHO IT IS FOR
SALES
Forecasting, account prioritization, pricing and deal decisions.
LEADERSHIP
Priorities, resource allocation and strategic decisions.
HR
Screening, evaluation and performance decisions.
FINANCE
Risk, credit, exposure and limit decisions.
IT MATTERS MOST WHEN
AI already influences decisions with real consequences.
- AI has recently entered a key process
- Leadership or a board is asking how these decisions are governed
- A decision went wrong, or nearly did, and no one is sure why
WHY ALEN MAYER
33 years helping people make better business decisions.
33 yearsFrom frontline sales and sales leadership into training, coaching, consulting and keynote speaking
10,000+ professionals trainedLeaders, teams and organizations across industries and cultures
122 countries, 6 continentsRepresented across the people I have worked with
7 booksOn better business decisions
INVESTMENT
Scoped to one decision.
Fees are set by proposal after an initial conversation.
The scope reflects:
- The decision being examined
- The people and roles involved
- The material available to work from
Virtual or on-site. Travel expenses apply to on-site work.
Prefer to begin with your team? Explore a Judgment Lab.
Part of a growing library. Explore 19 real decisions in the Challenges and 10 essays in Insights.
START WITH A CONVERSATION
Begin with the one decision that matters most.
The goal is not to replace human judgment with a process. It is to strengthen the judgment people bring to the process.