Beslisonderbouw

Beslisonderbouw is a Dutch term used in governance, management, and risk assessment to denote the underpinnings of a decision—the problem framing, data, analyses, and criteria that justify a choice. The term is a composite of beslissen (to decide) and onderbouw (foundation). It describes the part of a decision process that can be reviewed independently of the final decision.

Core elements include: problem definition; objectives and constraints; stakeholder analysis; information sources and data quality; methodological approaches; risk assessment; cost-benefit analysis; impacts on beneficiaries; evaluation criteria; ethical and legal considerations; and documentation of alternatives considered.

In practice, beslisonderbouw is captured in decision files, memos, or decision logs that document the reasoning, assumptions, and evidence. It supports accountability, transparency, and auditability. The final decision and its implementation should be coherent and traceable to this foundation.

Applications are common in public policy, municipal planning, corporate strategy, and risk management. For example, in a city planning scenario, beslisonderbouw would compile the project objective, available budget, expected traffic impact, alternatives (no-build, partial build, full build), affected groups, and risk analysis; the decision to approve or reject the project would rest on this foundation.

Challenges include data gaps, biases, changing conditions, and time pressure. See also decision support, governance, accountability.