HCDI Foundation Certificate
Chapter 9. How a board uses an HCDI report
Source note
Source basis - S1, physical PDF page 12.
HCDI governance ruleHCDI governance rule (Unit 1.8). Read the report in the order a decision-user is meant to. Begin with the score and the coverage together on the cover. Then read the three dimensions and their chips, the material findings party by party, the conclusion statement and the sufficiency label, the materiality criteria, the action plan, and the sections on independence and integrity. Read the disclaimer. Then ask the delivering team for the current status. The report gives a conclusion, never a verdict. It does not say proceed, and it does not say do not proceed. A board that wants one of those answers has to supply it, with the other advice it holds.
Board Perspective. Ask three questions of any number on the cover. What does it stand on? What was not evidenced? Has anything changed since the report was issued?
Board reasoning connects limits to dependencies
Basis - general professional knowledge and editorial explanation. External references are identified explicitly; this section adds no HCDI rule.
A useful board discussion connects an evidence limitation to a consequential assumption. Asking only whether a result is good encourages superficial reliance. Asking which benefit depends on an unevidenced capability preserves uncertainty and supports a decision. Minutes should distinguish questions to assessors from management instructions. Report date, intended recipients and current status also affect reliance.
Figure 1.9 Board reasoning connects limits to dependencies. Original conceptual illustration; arrows organise the discussion and do not establish a validated causal effect or a scoring procedure.
Original exercise L1 E09
Basis - original fictional exercise. The organisation, events and any numbers are invented for learning. No HCDI result is assigned.
Vela Holdings has an hour before a vote. One integration benefit depends on a team for which evidence is incomplete.
| Analytical task | Learner response required |
| Observation | Identify what the stated record directly establishes. |
| Inference | State the interpretation that still needs support. |
| Alternative | Identify a plausible alternative or missing context. |
| Authority | Identify the relevant credential or role boundary. |
Question - What should the board record?
Worked answer: Part G, exercise L1 E09.