Pattern
Decision Vacuum
Assumptions and informal agreements acquire the authority of a decision that was never actually made.
Description
A recurring mechanism where a direction becomes settled without anyone actually deciding it. Assumptions, recommendations and informal agreements gradually gain the authority of a decision, even though no clear decision was ever made.
Symptoms
- No one can name who decided, when, or why.
- A direction is treated as settled, yet has no rationale.
- Documentation gains authority without a decision behind it.
Typical Consequences
- Decision ownership becomes unclear.
- Assumptions become difficult to challenge.
- Accountability weakens.
Related Observations
- The Decision That Was Never Made
Related Principles
- Make Alternatives Explicit
- Challenge Assumptions
- Document Rationale
Relations
- Related observations:
- the-decision-that-was-never-made
- Related principles:
- make-alternatives-explicit, challenge-assumptions, document-rationale