The Decision Path

Map the route a decision actually takes through your business. The org chart is describing a different company.

1. Start point

Where does this decision really begin: a meeting, a particular person, or a crisis nobody planned for?

2. Ownership

Name the person who can actually say yes, and separately, the person who can quietly kill it and nobody will notice for weeks.

3. The gates

List every handoff along the way that adds time but doesn’t add clarity. There are usually more of these than anyone admits.

4. Time lost

Put a number of days on each gate. Be honest, this is not the moment to flatter your own process.