TECHNOLOGY · 2 HOURS
Technology Decisions for Non-Technical Leaders
Technology Decisions for Non-Technical Leaders teaches directors, heads of department and business owners to read a technology proposal in terms of the work and obligations being bought. You finish with a one-page decision note for a real proposal and a ninety-day test with a clear measure, so someone is accountable for the result.
About this course
Directors, trustees and business owners are regularly handed a business case, a vendor pitch or a team's recommendation and asked to approve a technology proposal they are not equipped to judge on technical grounds. They do not need to understand how the technology works, but they do need to know what will be different in the work once it is bought, and what the organisation is committing to in contracts, costs and people's time. This course teaches leaders to read any technology proposal in those terms and to reach a decision they can defend.
The course gives you a short method: restate the proposal as outcomes in the work, put the same five questions to it, name one owner for each of the four ways a decision can fail, and set a ninety-day test with a measure, a starting point, a threshold, a date and a decision. You finish with a signed one-page decision note for a real proposal, which another leader or an auditor could use to hold the proposer to the result.
What you will take away
- You will be able to tell a sentence that states an outcome in the work from one that describes a feature of the product, and ask for the outcome early and politely.
- You will be able to put five questions to any proposal, covering what changes in the work, what it replaces, who runs it, its whole-life cost and what happens if it or the supplier fails, and record which are answered and which are left open.
- You will be able to name one owner for each of the four kinds of failure: not used, not working, data exposed and supplier failure.
- You will be able to set a ninety-day test that someone other than the proposer could check, with a measure, a starting point, a threshold, a date and a decision agreed in advance.
- You will leave with a signed one-page decision note for a real proposal, ending in approve, approve with conditions or not yet, with a reason given in terms of the five questions.
Who this course is for
- Directors and heads of department who approve or reject technology proposals without being technologists themselves.
- Trustees and board members who are asked to vote on a digital investment and want to know which questions the proposal has left open.
- Business owners who are presented with vendor pitches and demonstrations and want a way to judge them that does not depend on the presentation.
- Senior leaders who want every approved technology decision to have a named owner and a clear test of whether it is working.
What you will do
Each lesson teaches one part of the method, works through a realistic example, and ends with a check on a case you have not seen. The course closes with an assessment and then the piece of work you sign.
- 5lessons with a worked example and a check
- 6scenario questions in the course assessment
- Signedthe decision note, with a record anyone can verify
- 2 hoursat your own pace, with progress saved
- 01
Lesson
What you are buying
This lesson explains that approving a proposal means buying a change in the work and taking on obligations such as a contract term and an exit. You read proposal sentences and mark each one as an outcome in the work or a feature of the product.
- You are buying a change in the work
- Two kinds of sentence in a proposal
- What this is not
- The mistake people usually make
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 02
Lesson
Five questions
This lesson gives you five questions to put to every technology proposal and explains why they are worked through in order rather than scored. You mark proposal sentences as answering a question with something checkable or leaving it open.
- The five questions
- What the questions are not
- Answers a question, or leaves it open
- The mistake people usually make
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 03
Lesson
Who owns the failure
This lesson sets out the four ways a technology decision can fail and explains why a programme board, a sponsor or a supplier cannot own them. You compare ownership sections and choose the one that names one person for each kind of failure.
- Four ways a decision can fail
- What an owner is
- Why a board or a supplier cannot own it
- The mistake people usually make
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 04
Lesson
The ninety-day test
This lesson shows you how to turn the promised outcome into a test with five parts that can be checked ninety days after launch. You mark success statements as ones that can be held to or cannot, often because they lack a starting point or a decision.
- Five parts of a test
- What the test is not
- Can be held to, or cannot be held to
- The mistake people usually make
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 05
Lesson
Repair a decision note
This lesson sets out the five sections of a decision note, the two readers it is written for, and the three possible decisions. You repair a weak note in place so that it states an outcome, names all four owners and gives a reasoned decision.
- Five sections on one page
- Who the note is for
- Approve, approve with conditions, or not yet
- The mistake people usually make
You repair a flawed draft so it meets the standard the lesson sets, and your revision is checked against it.
- 06
Course assessment
Apply the method to new proposals
This course assessment recaps the four moves and the decision note, and shows how a gap in one move tends to appear in another. You then apply the method to six new proposals, choosing the response that follows it in each case.
- The method in one page
- How the moves depend on each other
- What the assessment asks
You judge 6 new workplace situations, with feedback on every option, and need 5 correct to pass.
- 07
Final work and signed record
Your decision note
In this final lesson you write a decision note for a real proposal you are deciding on now or decided recently, keeping confidential figures out. Each of the five sections is checked in turn before you sign the note for your record.
- Choose a real proposal
- Write each section so a colleague could use it
- How the note is checked
You write the decision note for your own work, part by part, and sign it as your record.
GOOD WORK.THE DECISION NOTE, SIGNED.
WHAT CHANGES
What the course changes for you and your organisation.
- 01
Decisions not driven by demonstrations
The course replaces the impression left by a smooth demonstration with a fixed set of questions put to every proposal. Your organisation approves technology on the strength of what it will change in the work, with the open questions sent back to the proposer in writing.
- 02
Clear accountability after launch
Each way the decision could fail has one named person who will notice it and act, rather than a programme board or the supplier. Problems such as a system nobody uses or a sharp price rise at renewal are raised quickly.
- 03
A record that explains itself
The decision note records the reasoning, not the mood of the meeting, so a new chief executive or trustee can see a year later why the decision was made. The ninety-day test gives the review something definite to measure against.
- 04
Accountable technology decisions
The ONS found that 88% of the best managed UK firms adopted at least one advanced technology, compared with 51% of the least well managed. Leaders who can read a proposal in terms of the work, obligations and risks being bought give their organisation clearer ownership of the result.
QUESTIONS
Questions about Technology Decisions for Non-Technical Leaders
- What is Technology Decisions for Non-Technical Leaders about?
- Directors, trustees and business owners are regularly handed a business case, a vendor pitch or a team's recommendation and asked to approve a technology proposal they are not equipped to judge on technical grounds. They do not need to understand how the technology works, but they do need to know what will be different in the work once it is bought, and what the organisation is committing to in contracts, costs and people's time. This course teaches leaders to read any technology proposal in those terms and to reach a decision they can defend. The course gives you a short method: restate the proposal as outcomes in the work, put the same five questions to it, name one owner for each of the four ways a decision can fail, and set a ninety-day test with a measure, a starting point, a threshold, a date and a decision. You finish with a signed one-page decision note for a real proposal, which another leader or an auditor could use to hold the proposer to the result.
- Who is Technology Decisions for Non-Technical Leaders for?
- Directors and heads of department who approve or reject technology proposals without being technologists themselves. Trustees and board members who are asked to vote on a digital investment and want to know which questions the proposal has left open. Business owners who are presented with vendor pitches and demonstrations and want a way to judge them that does not depend on the presentation. Senior leaders who want every approved technology decision to have a named owner and a clear test of whether it is working. No specialist background is assumed, and every term is explained before it is used.
- What will I be able to do after Technology Decisions for Non-Technical Leaders?
- You will be able to tell a sentence that states an outcome in the work from one that describes a feature of the product, and ask for the outcome early and politely. You will be able to put five questions to any proposal, covering what changes in the work, what it replaces, who runs it, its whole-life cost and what happens if it or the supplier fails, and record which are answered and which are left open. You will be able to name one owner for each of the four kinds of failure: not used, not working, data exposed and supplier failure. You will be able to set a ninety-day test that someone other than the proposer could check, with a measure, a starting point, a threshold, a date and a decision agreed in advance. You will leave with a signed one-page decision note for a real proposal, ending in approve, approve with conditions or not yet, with a reason given in terms of the five questions.
- How long does the course take, and how is it taught?
- The course takes about 2 hours and is studied online at your own pace. It has 5 lessons, each with a worked example, a practice exercise, and a check on a new case, followed by a course assessment of 6 scenario questions in which you need 5 correct to pass. Your progress is saved to your account.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes. When you pass, you sign a record that names you, the course, and the decision note. Anyone you share it with can verify it online and download it as a PDF. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.
- How much does it cost, and when can I start?
- The course costs £149, paid once by card through Stripe. Access begins as soon as payment is confirmed, and you can save a sign-in to return to the course from any device.
- Can my organisation train a whole team?
- Yes. Individuals can buy any self-paced course online, and organisations can book trainer-led courses for teams, in person or online, through the Experrt Academy.
More technology courses are listed on the self-paced technology courses for non-technical teams page.
THERE IS A NEXT CHAPTER.
Start today, and finish with
the decision note your organisation can use.
Checkout takes an email address and a card, and access begins as soon as payment is confirmed. When you finish, you sign a record that names you and the decision note, which anyone you choose can verify online. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.