What defensible means
A defensible assessment record allows a board to trace every conclusion to its source: which interview, which scenario, which reference, which instrument. Where a source cannot be named, the statement belongs in a discussion, not in a report.
Scenario over narrative
At senior level, competency narrative is heavily rehearsed and weakly predictive. Scenario work — a live problem drawn from the organization's actual situation, worked through with the assessing partner — surfaces sequencing, information appetite, and comfort with incomplete data. It is also far harder to prepare for.
Referencing depth
Nominated references from former superiors are necessary and insufficient. At least one former direct report, taken with the candidate's knowledge, changes the picture more often than any other single input. We conduct referencing in structured form against the same criteria as the interviews so the evidence is comparable across a shortlist.
How to read the report
Look first for the limitations section. A report that names what was not tested — a capability the mandate could not probe, a reference that declined, a scenario that was not run — is more trustworthy than one that reads as uniformly confident. Then read the disagreements: where two assessors reached different views, and why.