A 90-Minute Working Session for One Clear Team Decision
A campaign is waiting for approval. Two delivery processes are competing for the same budget. Everyone has shared an opinion, but the team still needs a direction.
These are good reasons to hold a decision-making working session. Give the meeting one clear question, the right information and a defined decision owner. Then use the time to work through the choice together. The following 90-minute agenda is an illustrative format you can adapt for your team, not a venue package.
Photographed at The Hangout Ortigas. Confirm the room arrangement and equipment for your own session.
Choose the decision before choosing the agenda
Write the meeting’s purpose as a question: “Which customer onboarding process should we trial next month?” is more useful than “Discuss operations.” Identify who can make the final call and who has essential knowledge. A small business owner might need input from sales and operations without involving every employee.
Send a short pre-read covering the options, relevant evidence, constraints and missing information. Ask attendees to flag factual errors before the session. This keeps meeting time available for judgment rather than correcting the basics.
Use this 90-minute working agenda
Minutes 0–10: Define the decision
Read the question aloud. Confirm what the group can decide today and what sits outside its authority. Name the decision owner and explain how input will be used.
Minutes 10–25: Review the options
Give everyone a few quiet minutes to review the same information. Then clarify each option without debating it yet. Capture questions in a shared document or on paper so quieter participants have a way to contribute.
Minutes 25–45: Compare against agreed criteria
Choose a few relevant criteria, such as implementation effort, customer impact and operating cost. Discuss the options against those criteria. Avoid changing the criteria midway simply because someone prefers a particular answer.
Minutes 45–60: Test the weakest assumption
Ask, “What would have to be true for this option to work?” Identify the assumption carrying the most risk. Separate evidence from estimates, and consider whether a small trial could resolve uncertainty.
Minutes 60–75: Make or deliberately defer the choice
The decision owner states the preferred option and the reasons behind it. Invite a final round of concerns. If essential information is missing, name exactly what is needed, who will obtain it and when the decision will resume.
Minutes 75–90: Turn the choice into work
Record the first action, its owner and a realistic due date. Define how the team will judge progress and what evidence would justify revisiting the decision. Read the record back before everyone leaves.
Leave with a usable decision record
Keep the summary short enough that someone absent can understand it. Include the question, selected option, main reasoning, unresolved risks and next steps. Avoid sending only photographs of handwritten notes. A readable summary gives the team something specific to act on.
Plan your Ortigas working session
For a conference-room session at The Hangout Coworking Space Ortigas, share your proposed date, headcount and required setup with the team, and request a current quote. Include preparation and packing-up time in your requested booking window.
Find The Hangout Coworking Space at Unit 2408, 24th Floor, Tycoon Center, Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Call 0917 193 1276 or send your preferred date and requirements on WhatsApp.
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