---
id: "action-require-evidence-backed-vetoes"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["§ The \\\\\\\"Autonomous Scrum\\\\\\\""]
tags: ["leadership-behavior", "process-design"]
related: ["framework-autonomous-scrum", "concept-pocket-veto"]
action: "Mandate that any leadership veto of an Autonomous Scrum's decision be time-bound and evidence-backed."
outcome: "Prevents leadership bottlenecking and forces accountability on those who wish to halt progress."
speakers: ["Jonathan Rosenthal", "Neal Zuckerman"]
sources: ["governance"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-governance"
originDay: 7
articleStem: "hbr-sig-59-consensus-decision-making"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/04/decision-making-by-consensus-doesnt-work-in-the-ai-era"
sourceTitle: "Decision-Making by Consensus Doesn’t Work in the AI Era"
---
# Require Evidence-Backed Vetoes

**Action:** Mandate that any leadership veto of an Autonomous Scrum's decision be time-bound and evidence-backed.

**Outcome:** Prevents leadership bottlenecking and forces accountability on those who wish to halt progress.

To prevent leadership from second-guessing every decision made by an [[framework-autonomous-scrum]], establish a rule that any veto must be *formally justified*. It cannot be an indefinite delay; it must be **time-bound** and **supported by evidence**. This is the operational rule that kills the [[concept-pocket-veto]], and it mirrors the constraint placed on the *Veto* role in [[framework-ovis]] (see also [[action-implement-ovis]]).