Decision
Study
A Decision Study is a fixed-price research and advisory engagement from Theory Intelligence that supports one consequential business decision, such as an acquisition, a market entry, a major contract, a regulatory shift or a significant exposure. It builds a full evidence base of typically fifteen to thirty verified sources across people, records and data, applies structured analysis, and delivers a signed written recommendation and a working session in four to six weeks. It costs USD 25,000 to 75,000.
- One decision with up to three sub-questions
- Typically 15 to 30 verified sources: interviews across the people who know, plus full document, record and data review
- Structured analysis: assumptions checked, competing explanations tested, scenarios with stated probabilities where the decision needs them
- Signed report with recommendation, confidence level and the conditions that would change it
- Provenance appendix for every claim
- Written AI use disclosure
- Half-day working session with your team
- 4 to 6 weeks; 3 weeks compressed
- USD 25,000 to 75,000, fixed
What you receive
A full written report, usually 20 to 40 pages, that answers the decision question, presents the evidence with verbatim quotations and checked figures, states where sources conflict, and makes a signed recommendation with a confidence level and the conditions that would change it. Where the decision turns on the future, scenarios with stated probabilities and the indicators that would move them. A provenance appendix covering every person, document and dataset. A half-day working session with your team to test the findings against your own knowledge. Interim readouts at the end of week two and week four so nothing arrives as a surprise.
When to use it
Due diligence on an acquisition or investment where the seller's story needs testing against customers, records and the people who have dealt with the company. A market entry or exit where the public data is thin and the real knowledge sits with operators. An exposure to a supplier, a partner, a country or a regulatory change that is large enough to change the plan. A pricing, product or platform decision where the risk of a wrong move is measured in millions. A strategy a board wants independently tested before it votes. If being wrong costs more than USD 1 million and you have four to six weeks, it is a Decision Study.
Price
USD 25,000 to 75,000. Fixed before we start, invoiced 50 percent on order and 50 percent on delivery. Prices exclude tax. Where the price lands within the range depends on how hard the evidence is to get.
Compared with the alternatives
A management consultancy brings a team, a framework and a large fee. A Decision Study brings verified evidence, structured analysis, a signed position and a price you knew before you started. Read the comparison.
Step by step
Week 0: scope
A working session to define the decision, its sub-questions, what would have to be true for the plan to work, and the evidence that would move it. Fixed price and timeline confirmed in writing.
Week 1: find, verify, read
The people who know are identified and verified. Filings, registries, court and enforcement records, contracts and press are gathered and read. Data is traced to its source. The interview guide is agreed with you.
Weeks 2 to 4: gather
Fifteen to thirty interviews run by the lead researcher, alongside continuing document and data work. Interim readout at the end of week two so the frame can be adjusted.
Weeks 4 to 5: analyse
Evidence weighed, conflicts named, assumptions tested against the alternatives, scenarios drawn where needed. Recommendation drafted and stress-tested. Provenance appendix compiled.
Week 5 or 6: deliver
Signed report delivered. Half-day working session. Follow-up questions answered for 30 days after delivery.
Questions about the Decision Study
What is a Decision Study?
A Decision Study is a fixed-price research and advisory engagement from Theory Intelligence: one consequential decision, typically fifteen to thirty verified sources across people, records and data, structured analysis, a signed recommendation and a working session, in four to six weeks, for USD 25,000 to 75,000.
How does this compare to commercial due diligence from a consulting firm?
The evidence base is similar or larger, and it extends beyond customer interviews to records and data. The difference is that every source is verified, every claim is traceable in the provenance appendix, AI use is disclosed, and the fee is typically a fraction of a strategy firm's, because there is no bench or leverage model to fund.
Can you work to a deal timetable?
Yes. A compressed Decision Study can be delivered in three weeks with a narrower evidence base. We agree the trade-off in writing before starting.
Who owns the material?
You do, within the consent terms agreed with participants and the licence terms of any purchased data. Verbatim quotations and checked figures are in the report; transcripts are shared where consent permits.
Start a Decision Study
Write to info@theoryintel.com with the question and the decision it feeds. You will have a fixed price and a start date within one business day.
Start a brief