Answers to common questions.

+ How is Decision Time better than using separate board portal software, risk management software and OKR management platform?

There’s no need to buy software systems from three different suppliers. With Decision Time you get an integrated board portal, risk management and OKR software in one easy-to-use system. Think of it like Microsoft Office but for governance, risk and corporate performance. Find out more.

+ Do I have to purchase the entire system or can I mix and match the tools?

To unlock the best value from Decision TIme, we advise that customers deploy the entire system. That said, we’ll never sell you anything that isn’t right for your specific needs. If we believe you only need to buy one or two of the tools, that’s what we’ll advise. Visit the pricing page for more details.

+ Do I need a lot of technical know-how to use Decision Time?

Definitely not. We know Decision Time will be used by a broad range of people with varying degrees of technical confidence. We’ve deliberately designed the software to be very simple to use. Customers tell us time and again that Decision Time’s ease of use is one of the main reasons that internal adoption is so high. It’s also a major contributing factor in our 99% customer retention rate. Check out some of our customer testimonials to see the opinions of our customers.

+ Can Decision Time be customised specifically for my organisation?

Yes. The software is easy to configure to your specific requirements. Get in touch to chat through any detailed questions you have.

+ How long does it take to install and deploy Decision Time?

As a cloud-hosted system, Decision Time is extremely easy and quick to deploy. A small to medium organisation can be up and running in days, whereas a larger organisation might need only a few weeks. At every stage, our customer care team will be on hand to guide you, and your team, through a successful implementation. Get in touch to find out how.

+ What kind of training plans do you offer?

We’ve designed Decision Time to be very intuitive so you’ll need minimal training. From the outset, we’ll work with you to agree on the most effective training plan based on users’ experience and availability. We can train a standard user in an hour, whereas a superuser or admin user will take around 2 hours. In-person training is supplemented by videos and quick start guides. We can be flexible about training dates and times too. Everything will be planned around your availability and go-live date.

+ Can you help me onboard colleagues and maximise adoption throughout the organisation?

Absolutely. It’s in everyone’s interests to achieve successful adoption. Through our customer care programme, we regularly meet with key personnel and advise on how to get the most from your investment as quickly as possible.

+ What customer support options are available?

We support our customers in several ways:-

• Access the web-based support ticketing system. An online form built into the system automatically raises a ticket in our helpdesk software.
• During normal business hours, call the customer support telephone number.
• Use our support email address helpdesk@decisiontime.co.uk 24/7. This automatically generates a ticket in our helpdesk software and tells our technical staff an issue has been logged.
• Check out our video tutorials and quick start guides for the Meetings & Decisions tool.

+ How long before I see measurable results from Decision Time?

Customers should see measurable results from day one. Customers can quickly say goodbye to:

• Insecure distribution
• Complex spreadsheets
• Confusing email threads
• Inefficient reporting
• Siloed information

+ How is access controlled?

Access to Decision Time is controlled by a username and password. After logging in to the system, you will see the information your administrator has given you access to.

+ Do I need any other tools, like Sharepoint, to store documents?

Decision Time has its own permission-based document library. This repository is secure and the organiser has total control over who sees what.

+ Can I upload documents from different sources to Decision Time?

Yes, you can upload documents stored locally on your desktop, or from online sources such as Sharepoint, Box or DropBox.

+ Can I search across previous meeting agendas, notes and actions?

Yes, our powerful search facility will allow you to easily find your search term across previous meeting agendas, documents, notes and actions.

+ Can I mark up and annotate the meeting pack?

Yes, we give you an intuitive toolbar that enables you to do everything you could with a paper pack. Mark up with a pen, highlighter and eraser, pin text notes to a report or share securely with other attendees.

+ Can I access the meeting papers offline?

Yes. Depending on how you configure your account, you can make the meeting pack available in different ways. In one click, convert it into a pdf. Or disable this option, and make the meeting pack available offline in the application. This enables you to read and navigate the pack and make notes offline.

+ Is the system able to record and assign meeting actions?

Yes, along with capturing ‘Decisions’, ‘Attendance’ and ‘Minutes’, you can capture actions and tasks in seconds. Assign to an individual along with a due date, and give all attendees visibility on its progress.

+ Can Decision Time be used to facilitate remote meetings?

Yes. Our system integrates seamlessly with popular webinar platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex and others.

+ Can users collaborate on meeting documents in preparation?

Gone is the need to prepare documents in isolation for meetings. If users have a question to raise, they can do so in advance and responses can be shared among all attendees. Meeting attendees can also respond to formalities in advance so you can redirect the saved time towards higher priority items that merit more in-depth discussion.

+ Can the software be configured to suit our business requirements?

Our Risks & Controls tool is used by organisations across many sectors and of varying sizes. The software is designed to be flexible and easy to configure for each organisation, making it fast and simple to embed existing risk management frameworks.

+ Can I manage multiple risk registers?

We’ll configure the software to manage multiple risk registers, each with customised permissions and structure. Maintain strategic, operational, project registers with seamless integration and connectivity to risks, controls and actions.

+ Can the software guide non-risk professionals through the risk process?

Yes, there are clever features to help educate users. A stepped workflow guides you through the risk assessment process. Risk scoring, controls and actions are customised to your process and supporting documentation can be attached at key steps.

+ What levels of assurance are there?

We’ve designed this Risks & Controls tool in line with best-practice risk management practices. Based on ISO31000 with a strong focus on the strength of controls, the system incorporates the ‘Three Lines of Defense’ model, RAG status on assurance and automated alerts on exceptions.

+ What reporting functions are available?

Our visual dashboards include an overview of all risks or filtered groups of risks, and allow you to drill down for more information. This in-app reporting means you can segment risks by score, ownership, organisation structure, risk type or any other risk metadata. View standard summary and detailed reports online or download them as PDF or csv files.

+ Can we import our existing data?

Yes, choose from our standard templates for data import or use the experience and expertise of our delivery team to migrate your data from previous systems.

+ Can this tool be tailored to suit our business planning?

Yes, it’s easy to configure our Objectives & KPIs tool for any type of organisation. SMEs and corporate entities across all kinds of sectors are using it to manage and improve performance against their business and project planning.

+ Can it be used for OKRs/KPIs?

Yes, the system is configurable for both OKRs and KPIs. It allows multiple plans to be managed and monitored within a single dashboard view. Frequency of performance reviews (weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly) can be set for each Key Result or Performance Indicator.

+ Can we align our strategic goals, values and vision?

Our Objectives & KPIs software tool is modelled on the ‘Golden Thread’ performance management framework. Use the intuitive dashboard and built-in organisation chart to weave and prioritise goals and objectives into your structure with ease.

+ How can the software improve decision making?

At a glance, Board Members, Senior Leaders can see how the organisation is performing by department, theme or individual. Alerts and exception reporting flag the appropriate information to support timely decisions.

+ What reporting can I get from the system?

Our visual dashboards include an overview of all plans, objectives and measures with the ability to drill down for more information. This in-app reporting means that performance can be viewed based on plan, ownership, organisation structure, RAG status and any other configured themes. A number of standard summary and detail reports can be viewed online or downloaded as pdf or csv files.

+ Can we import our existing data?

Yes, choose from a number of standard templates for data import or use the experience and expertise of our delivery team to migrate your data from previous systems.

+ Where is my data stored?

Our systems are hosted with Amazon AWS servers in London for UK customers and Amazon AWS in Dublin for EU customers.

+ Are deleted documents recoverable?

Deleted documents can be recovered by contacting the Decision Time Help Desk via email at helpdesk@decisiontime.online or by calling us on +44 (0)28 9448 7753.

+ Can I restrict team members to a particular device?

Yes, Decision Time can restrict users to a particular device if this is preferred but the toolkit can be used on any device.

+ Is Multi-Factor Authentication available?

For added security, Multi-Factor Authentication using a smartphone or SMS is a standard feature.

+ Does Decision Time integrate with Active Directory

Single sign-on using Active Directory, or other third-party identity services, is available and has been implemented for many customers. We can liaise with your IT team to confirm your requirements and configure accordingly.

+ How secure is Decision Time?

Decision Time has 3 layers of security:

• Server Level - the data server is hosted in a secure environment. Both physical and logical security measures protect the server from unauthorised access.
• Device (client) Level - all clients communicate with the server over an encrypted (SSL / HTTPS) channel so that no one can read the data in transit.
• Document Level - The agenda information and associated documents are stored in a secure encrypted database.