DEV Thinking / Essay
The cost of a vague decision
The expensive part is not always choosing badly. It is spending weeks reacting to a decision nobody has stated clearly enough to make.
Work expands around an unclear question
A vague decision creates activity. Meetings appear. Research grows. New versions get made. People keep adding information because nobody is sure what would be enough to decide.
This can look like progress from the inside. It often feels responsible. But if the real question is still blurry, the work has no reliable stopping point.
Name the choice before judging the options
A useful decision can usually be stated as a choice between realistic routes, within a real time frame, for a clear reason.
“What should we do with the business?” is too wide. “Which of these two offers should we test with this audience in the next 30 days?” gives the evidence somewhere to land.
- What exactly needs deciding?
- Which realistic options are on the table?
- What would make one option better than another?
- When does the decision need to be made?
Clarity creates a stopping rule
Once the decision is clear, you can see what information matters and what is simply interesting. You can also decide when there is enough evidence to move.
That does not remove uncertainty. It stops uncertainty from becoming an excuse for endless motion.