The UQMA+ Model™ ​

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Better Decisions. Stronger Governance. At Every Level of Your Organisation.

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Whether you sit on a board or lead an organisation, the quality of your decisions shapes the quality of your outcomes. The UQMA+ Model™ gives boards and senior leaders a structured, repeatable cycle for making better decisions - across strategy, finance, risk, performance, and culture.

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For Boards & Trustees                                                               For Senior Leaders & Directors

Strengthen oversight and challenge                                          Improve the quality of every decision

Apply consistent governance across all domains                      Build accountability into every meeting                   

Enable every board member to contribute                                 Connect daily decisions to strategy

End reactive, inconsistent decision-making                               Develop your leadership decision maturity

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​What is the UQMA+ Model™?

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The UQMA+ Model™ is a practical governance and leadership decision framework, published in May 2026 (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20222756, CC BY 4.0).

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It is built around a four-stage cycle — Understand, Question, Monitor, Act — anchored by Clarity and Alignment. The same cycle applies whether you are governing an organisation as a board member or leading one as a director or senior manager.

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Most governance frameworks are written for boards. Most leadership frameworks are written for executives. UQMA+ bridges both -  giving everyone in the decision-making chain a shared language and a repeatable structure.

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The problems UQMA+ solves:

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• ❌ Reactive decision-making

• ❌ Inconsistent challenge and scrutiny

• ❌ Over-reliance on individual expertise

• ❌ Poor follow-through on decisions

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What UQMA+ delivers:

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✓ Clear structure for every decision
✓ Works across all governance domains
✓ Enables all board members to contribute
✓ Suitable for any sector or organisation size

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​Who UQMA+ Is For

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Boards, Trustees & NEDs                                                                               

 

You are responsible for oversight and governance. UQMA+ gives your board a structured approach to scrutinising decisions, monitoring performance, and ensuring follow-through — across every domain, at every meeting.

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• Charity trustees and nonprofit boards

• Corporate non-executive directors

• Academy trust and school governors

• Housing association boards

• Aspiring board members building capability

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Senior Leaders, Directors & Department Heads

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You make decisions every day that shape your organisation's direction. UQMA+ gives you a structured cycle for making those decisions with greater clarity and accountability — and a diagnostic to show exactly where to improve.

• CEOs and senior directors

• Department heads and function leads

• Committee chairs

• Leaders preparing for board roles

• HR and leadership development professionals

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​The Four-Stage UQMA+ Cycle

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Four interconnected stages. One continuous cycle. Strategic clarity at the center.

 

 

The same four stages apply whether you govern at the board level or lead at the executive level.

UNDERSTAND - Get the Full Picture

Before any decision, establish context.
For boards: What is this really about? What assumptions underpin the proposal? How does it connect to strategy?
For leaders: What is driving this decision? What data do I need? What are we not seeing?

QUESTION - Challenge Constructively
Good governance and good leadership both require the courage to challenge.
For boards: What risks aren't we seeing? What alternatives exist? What are the trade-offs?
For leaders: What could go wrong? What are we not considering? What are we trading off?

And the one question every board should ask: 'Is there anything you're concerned about that isn't in this report?'
 

MONITOR - Track What Matters
Insight over information. Trends over snapshots.
For boards: Are we monitoring the right things? What early warnings exist? What are we NOT tracking?
For leaders: Are we on track? What does the trend show — not just today? What should we watch?

ACT - Decide and Follow Through
Clear decisions. Named accountability. Reviewed outcomes.
For boards: What are we deciding? Who owns implementation? When do we review?
For leaders: What are we agreeing to do? Who is responsible, by when? How is progress reported?

Strategic Anchor - Clarity & Alignment
Everything connects to strategy. Before every decision — board or leadership — ask: does this connect to our mission, priorities, risk appetite and values? This prevents mission drift, reactive decisions, and strategic misalignment.

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Take the Next Step with UQMA+

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From free tools to full diagnostics - choose your starting point.

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Complete the form below for free templates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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poke Board & Leadership Consultancy Contact for pricing Workshops, governance reviews, board and leadership team development, and UQMA+ implementation support. Book a Free Conversation →

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Why UQMA+ Works

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Built on published research UQMA+ extends the UQMA Framework™ for financial governance (January 2026, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18167965) - developed from practitioner experience and published open-access.

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Behaviour, not expertise  You don't need technical financial knowledge, sector expertise, or years of experience. You need the willingness to understand context, the courage to ask good questions, and the commitment to follow through. UQMA+ works for first-time trustees and experienced directors equally.

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Universal applicability The same cycle works for a trustee scrutinising a budget, a CEO making a strategic call, and a department head reviewing performance. One framework. Every level. Every sector.

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​​Implementation Support

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Beyond the tools, I work directly with boards and leadership teams to embed UQMA+ in practice - changing how meetings run and how decisions are made. From workshops and governance reviews to one-to-one chair and director coaching, support is tailored to your context.

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Book a free 30-minute conversation →

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📄 Full Academic Publication

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Complete framework with theoretical foundation and detailed methodology.

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Download: Zenodo (Open Access)

Citation: Magadzire, M. (2026). The UQMA+ Model™: A Board Decision and Oversight Framework (Version 1.0) [Framework]. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20222756

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The UQMA Journey

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Date                                                    Milestone

January 2026                                      UQMA Framework™ v1.0 published (Click to read) 

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May 2026                                            UQMA+ Model™ v1.0 published 

 

Ongoing                                              Implementation, case studies, empirical validation

 

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​Research & Validation

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UQMA+ is a practitioner-informed framework currently being tested across diverse governance contexts.

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Want to participate in validation research?

We are seeking boards willing to:

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• Adopt UQMA+ and provide feedback

• Participate in case study development

• Contribute to framework refinement

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Express interest in research participation →

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License & Use

Copyright: © M. Magadzire 2026
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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You MAY:

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✓ Reference and cite with attribution
✓ Use for non-commercial board development
✓ Adapt for internal governance use
✓ Share with colleagues and networks

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You MUST:

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⚠️ Provide attribution to the author
⚠️ Include the DOI when citing
⚠️ Retain copyright and license notices

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You NEED PERMISSION FOR:

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❗ Commercial training delivery
❗ Incorporation into paid products/services
❗ Substantial derivative works for commercial use

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Request commercial use permission →

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Stay Updated

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Join the UQMA+ Community

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Get updates on:

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• Implementation guides and tools

• Case studies and research findings

• Training opportunities

• Framework updates and refinements

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Scroll to the form above (or bottom if on a mobile device)

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Published Frameworks:

 

• UQMA Framework™ v1.0 (January 2026) - Financial governance

• UQMA+ Model™ v1.0 (May 2026) - Board decision-making

 

Connect:
 

🌐 mellorsconsultancy.co.uk
📧 Email

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Publication Details

Title: The UQMA+ Model™: A Board Decision and Oversight Framework
Version: v1.0
Published: May 17, 2026
Publisher: Zenodo
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20222756
License: CC BY 4.0
Language: English

Keywords: Board effectiveness, Corporate governance, Board decision-making, Director development, Governance frameworks, Board oversight, Strategic governance, Nonprofit governance, Board performance, Charity governance