Decision Error: Process, Not Outcome

The standard

A bypassed verification threshold was present and available at the time of the choice, but was not applied. Without this evidence, a disappointing outcome cannot be distinguished from a genuine decision error.

Criteria

• A check was available at the time of the decision
• It was not applied
• The finding concerns the process, not the outcome
• A good outcome does not undo the bypassed verification threshold

Distinction

Decision error ≠ good decision: a good decision is checked against its stated goal, a decision error arises when that check is skipped. Decision error ≠ misjudgement: a misjudgement can occur despite a completed check, a bypassed verification threshold presupposes that the check was absent.