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Decision Filter Test

operational
mission statementdecision-makingstrategic planning
The Decision Filter Test is a method for evaluating whether your mission statement actually guides operational decisions. You apply your current mission statement to your last three strategic decisions and ask whether it provided clarity or pointed toward one option over another. If your mission statement didn't influence those decisions, it lacks operational applicability and is functioning as wall art rather than useful infrastructure.
In Brief

The Decision Filter Test is a method for evaluating whether your mission statement actually guides operational decisions. You apply your current mission statement to your last three strategic decisions and ask whether it provided clarity or pointed toward one option over another. If your mission statement didn't influence those decisions, it lacks operational applicability and is functioning as wall art rather than useful infrastructure.

Decision Filter Test — The Decision Filter Test evaluates whether a mission statement has operational applicability by applying it to your last three strategic decisions. A functional mission statement should provide clarity and point toward one option over another when facing decisions. If it doesn't influence actual strategic choices, it lacks operational applicability and functions as decorative language rather than decision-making infrastructure.

Christy Rexroth
Defined byChristy Rexroth
Founder & Strategic Architect
BS Business Management, Indiana University Kelley School of BusinessBusiness Excellence Program (Accelerate), AllerganFundamentals of Digital Marketing, Google Digital AcademyFounder & Strategic Architect, StrataVera Consulting & CoachingDirector of Business Development, AOB Med Spa (Diamond Allergan)

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The Three Elements Every Mission Statement Needs to Actually Work

Most mission statements are forgettable because they're built wrong. This piece breaks down the structural elements that make a mission statement function as actual brand infrastructure rather than wall art—specificity, differentiation, and operational applicability.

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decorative mission

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