Q-Decide™ Helped a Stalled Federal Agency Move Forward in One Day
A real use case in strategic clarity, momentum, and leadership alignment.
There’s a particular kind of stuck that happens inside large organizations.
It’s not from lack of ideas — in fact, it’s the opposite.
It’s what happens when everyone is doing “important work,” but no one agrees on what matters most. Competing initiatives. Leadership tension. Resource gridlock. And behind it all? A quiet drift away from the mission.
That’s exactly what one federal agency’s transformation steering committee was facing.
The Backstory: Good Intentions, No Momentum
For months, their team had been working hard — designing plans, launching pilots, shaping long-term roadmaps. But despite their efforts, nothing was actually moving.
Teams were competing for funding
Priorities were unclear
Everyone had a “top” initiative - and no one agreed
Critical decisions kept getting kicked down the road
Behind closed doors, leaders admitted it: “We can’t do it all. Some things just don’t make sense — but no one is willing to say it out loud.”
— SES Leader, U.S. Federal Agency
The Turning Point: Facilitated Strategic Discussion
SimpliQ was brought in to help break the deadlock. Not with more process. Not with more meetings.
But with a decision system.
We used Q-Decide™ — a simple, structured framework that helps leadership teams get clear, fast.
It does three things exceptionally well:
Aligns teams around shared decision criteria
Visually shows what work is high-impact vs. low-fit
Enables yes/no decisions based on weighted data — not gut feel
What We Did — In One Facilitated Session
Step 1: Agree on the Criteria
The group aligned on five weighted dimensions:
Strategic Alignment (30%)
Enterprise Value (25%)
Urgency / Time Sensitivity (20%)
Ease of Execution (15%)
Confidence in Success (10%)
For the first time, everyone could agree on how we were deciding — not just what to decide.
Step 2: Score and Visualize the Work
We evaluated 12 active initiatives. Each was scored against the criteria, then plotted on the Clarity Map.
Top Right: Enterprise Drivers
Top Left: Pet Projects
Bottom Right: Resource Traps
Bottom Left: Non-Starters
In 20 minutes, the path forward was crystal clear.
Step 3: Apply the Quick Fit Check
Each initiative went through a simple, fast filter to determine next steps:
Does this fit?
If not, does it need to pause or exit?
Does it require escalation to continue?
The Result? Clarity. Confidence. Momentum.
Within the same day:
3 initiatives were approved for immediate funding
4 were officially deferred to future planning
5 were removed from consideration entirely
And perhaps most importantly — the team left the room aligned
No more hallway debates. No more uncertainty about direction. Just a shared system they could use again and again.
Why It Worked
Q-Decide™ is more than a one-time tool. It’s a repeatable way for leadership teams to make the hard calls - without spinning. It creates alignment not just on the outcome, but on the process. That’s what builds trust. That’s what unlocks momentum.
And that’s what this agency needed to finally move forward.