Did you know that Kodak actually invented the first digital camera in 1975? But its top executives decided not to pursue it, fearing it would adversely affect their film business. By the time Kodak embraced digital, it was too late. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Now imagine a smaller-scale version of this playing out in your team.
Imagine you’re leading a product launch. Without clear roles, ideas clash, meetings drag on and deadlines get missed. Making critical decisions in a business is a very sensitive responsibility. When teams grow and choices get bigger, the decision-making process can slow down or even get stuck. That’s where the RAPID decision-making model comes in. It helps you make sensitive team decisions, so everyone knows exactly what they need to do.
In this article, you’ll discover what the RAPID decision model is, how it works and how you can start using it to make better, faster decisions in your organization.
What is RAPID decision-making?
It’s a decision-making model developed by Bain & Company to help organizations assign clear roles to different people during a decision-making process.
RAPID is an acronym that stands for:
- Recommend
- Agree
- Perform
- Input
- Decide
Each letter represents a specific role that someone needs to play in the collaborative decision-making process. However, the order of the letters doesn’t match the natural flow of decision-making.
For example, in some decision-making processes, input (I) often happens before a recommendation (R) is made, irrespective of their order in the acronym. The RAPID decision-making model is highly flexible and a critical process when too many voices are involved. With everyone clear about their roles, decisions don’t get stuck, delayed or forgotten.
Now that you know what RAPID model decision-making is, let’s break it down properly.
RAPID decision-making model explained
The RAPID model defines the five important roles and allocates tasks accordingly. It is extremely crucial that each role is allotted to people or groups who are experts or knowledgeable about the field the process is being applied to. Here’s a simple look at what each role means for you and your team:
- Recommend: The recommender is like a team lead who decides how the process takes place. Their role is to generate ideas and build proposals after collecting insights from the Input and Agree roles.
- Agree: The Agreer’s job is to review the proposed plan, check for risks and suggest changes if needed. If they see a problem, they don’t just reject the plan, they work to improve it.
- Perform: Once the decision is made, the Performer steps in. They are the ones who actually make the plan happen, turning decisions into real action. They keep everything moving without confusion.
- Input: The Input role is about giving the right information at the right time. People in this role provide insights, data and opinions to help shape the recommendation.
- Decide: The Decider’s role is the most powerful in the RAPID process. This person, or in some cases, group, is responsible for making the final call. They review the recommendation, weigh the trade-offs and choose the path forward. Their decision must match the organization’s mission, values and bigger goals.
Here’s a scenario where applying the RAPID process can be feasible.
How does RAPID decision-making work?
The RAPID model decision-making is not a step-by-step sequence. The actual flow of decision-making can jump back and forth depending on the situation. Let’s walk through how it really works so you can start applying it with confidence.
Let’s imagine you’re part of a marketing company that needs to decide on a new email marketing strategy. Here’s how you might assign the roles:
- Recommend: The Head of Marketing Research is responsible for building a strong, data-backed email marketing plan.
- Agree: The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the Head of Legal Compliance are assigned as Agreers. They make sure the strategy meets financial targets and legal rules.
- Perform: The Marketing Manager takes charge of carrying out the strategy once it’s approved.
- Input: The Product Development team steps in to provide product updates and feature highlights that the marketing campaign should focus on.
- Decide: The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) holds the final decision-making authority.
How the process would play out
Here’s how the steps might look once everyone knows their role:
- Gather input: The Head of Marketing Research (Recommend) meets with the Product Development team (Input) to collect information about products and updates that could shape the strategy. They also check in with the CFO and Head of Legal Compliance (Agree) early on to understand any financial or legal limitations.
- Create the proposal: Using all the gathered information, the Recommender drafts a detailed, practical email marketing strategy designed to boost leads and sales.
- Review and refine: The Recommender shares the proposal with the CFO and Head of Legal Compliance again to make sure it aligns with finance and compliance needs. They offer feedback and suggest any changes needed to reduce risks or optimize costs.
- Decision-making: The final proposal is presented to the CMO (Decider). They review all aspects, product relevance, financial feasibility and legal compliance, before giving their decision.
- Execution: Once approved, the Marketing Manager (Performer) takes the plan and turns it into action launching the email marketing campaigns and making sure everything stays on track.
Why this flexibility matters
This flexibility is what makes the RAPID decision-making model so powerful. It doesn’t trap you into following a rigid order. Instead, it gives you a clear structure, but leaves enough room for collaboration, revisions and better decision-making.
After learning about how the RAPID model works, you might be wondering, is it really worth the effort to set up these roles for every major decision? Let’s look at some of the benefits of following the process.
Benefits of RAPID decision-making
Correct execution of a RAPID model brings real, lasting benefits that can transform how you and your team make decisions. The process can help increase efficiency and reduce costs as well as provide multiple benefits. These include:
Boosts employee buy-in and engagement
When your team members feel heard and involved, they are more motivated to contribute their best ideas. This also creates a positive team culture where collaboration happens naturally. It leads to better decision outcomes, stronger execution and long-term success.
Clarifies accountability and responsibility
One of the biggest challenges in team decision-making is accountability. By using a RAPID model, everyone knows their role, whether it’s gathering information, giving input, approving, or acting. No important task slips through the cracks. This clear accountability builds a culture of trust, confidence and efficiency inside your team.
Encourages faster execution
When decisions are made with clarity and confidence, execution speeds up. With RAPID, you can move from decision to action quickly, without sacrificing quality. This makes a real difference, especially in fast-moving industries where staying ahead depends on how quickly and effectively you can act on good ideas.
How to implement RAPID in your organization
By now, you know RAPID can help you make faster, better and more organized decisions. But how exactly do you bring it into your organization without adding confusion or extra work?
The good news is that implementing RAPID is straightforward when you break it down into simple steps. Let’s walk through the process.
1. Identify the decisions that need a RAPID structure
You don’t need to apply RAPID to every tiny decision. Start by identifying the bigger, more complex decisions, the ones that involve multiple people, have a major impact, or where accountability often gets blurred.
Decisions around launching a new product, entering a new market, or choosing a major vendor are perfect places to apply RAPID.
2. Define the roles for each decision clearly
Once you pick the decision, your next step is assigning the five RAPID roles:
Be very clear about who holds which role. One person can sometimes have more than one role (for example, someone might both provide input and perform the task), but avoid spreading roles too thin across too many people.
It’s best to document the role assignments, even if it’s just a quick one-pager, so everyone knows where they stand.
3. Communicate the RAPID framework to your team
Before you start using a RAPID decision model, make sure you explain it clearly to your team. Keep it simple, you’re not introducing a complicated new system; you’re just giving decisions more structure.
Explain:
- What is RAPID decision-making
- Why you’re using it (to speed up and improve decisions)
- How roles will be assigned
Encourage questions and discussions so everyone feels comfortable with the approach.
4. Practice RAPID with smaller decisions first
Before using a RAPID decision model on a major project or decision, practice on smaller ones. Choose a few medium-level decisions and run them through the RAPID process. This gives your team a chance to get used to the model without too much pressure.
Treat it like a dry run. You’ll be able to spot any confusion, answer questions and adjust your approach before scaling it up to bigger, high-impact decisions.
5. Review and adjust as you go
No decision-making process is perfect right out of the gate. After using RAPID for a few decisions, gather feedback from your team:
- Was the process clear?
- Were the right people involved?
- Did it actually help decision speed and quality?
Use this feedback to fine-tune how you apply a RAPID decision-making framework in your organization. You might find you need to simplify role assignments further, involve fewer people in some steps, or make the documentation even clearer.
Challenges in RAPID decision-making
While RAPID makes decision-making more structured, it’s not always smooth sailing. Before you dive in, it’s helpful to know the common challenges you might face and how to avoid them.
1. Confusion about roles
If roles like Recommender, Agreer, or Decider aren’t clearly assigned, decisions can slow down or stall. Make sure everyone knows exactly what part they play. A simple checklist or shared document can make a big difference.
2. Resistance to change
People are often hesitant to adopt new processes. In fact, nearly 70% of change initiatives fail due to resistance. The key is to explain that RAPID is designed to speed things up, not to add extra work and to show early wins to build trust.
3. Overcomplicating the process
Adding too many people to each role or dragging out the input process can defeat the purpose of RAPID. Keep it simple: assign only those who are truly needed and focus discussions on the essentials.
4. Power struggles
Sometimes, people may push back if they aren’t the final decision-maker. Clear communication and strong leadership are crucial to reinforce that RAPID isn’t about taking away voices, it’s about making smarter, faster decisions together.
5. Skipping input or agreement
Rushing straight from recommendation to decision without gathering proper input or agreement can cause costly mistakes. Even a quick review with key stakeholders helps avoid bigger problems later.
Conclusion
Did you know that Bain & Company used the RAPID framework to help an insolvent airline become profitable for the first time in 11 years? By making customer-centric decisions, they slashed annual costs by $300M in just 12 months.
A RAPID decision-making framework helps you bring structure, speed and clarity to even the toughest choices. By clearly assigning roles, encouraging collaboration and following a simple process, you can avoid confusion, reduce delays and make smarter decisions. While challenges may pop up, a little preparation goes a long way in overcoming them. If you’re looking to build a faster, more confident team, RAPID offers a practical, easy-to-use framework that can help you move forward with certainty.
Try applying RAPID in your next team decision — you’ll be surprised how quickly things start moving in the right direction.
FAQs
How can the RAPID decision-making model improve organizational decision-making?
It clarifies roles and responsibilities so you avoid confusion, speed approvals and ensure every step is covered for better outcomes.
What are the key elements of the RAPID decision-making framework?
Key elements are Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input and Decide roles, each defining who proposes, reviews, acts on or finalizes decisions.
How does RAPID decision-making help streamline processes in businesses?
It removes repeated decision loops by assigning tasks to specific roles, cuts delays and efficiently improves coordination across your teams.
How can RAPID decision-making be applied to remote teams?
You assign each remote team member clear decision roles, use digital tools for input and approvals, ensuring smooth, accountable decisions.
