Inadequate attention has been given to integrating EA and project design. To move EA from a negative, adversarial role to a proactive creative role as a design tool, it must transform from being directed at the production of a standalone report to a process able to contribute apposite environmental advice in good time for each of the decision-points in the planning process. We introduce the concept of decision-scoping into the standard scoping exercise as the essential precursor for this integration. Decision-scoping develops a schedule of all planning and design decisions to be made during the planning and approval cycle, and identifies the information on environmental constraints and opportunities that will be pertinent before each decision-point. This schedule becomes the framework around which the EA manager can creatively design each EA process.