Limit Consulted to people whose input genuinely changes the decision

Every C is a two-way conversation that costs time; over-consulting is as dangerous as under-consulting.

Why it works

Every person listed as Consulted must be contacted before the decision is made and must have a real opportunity to influence it — otherwise the C is a courtesy label, not a real role. When too many people are Consulted, decision speed collapses and consultees stop engaging because their input rarely matters. Limiting C to genuine decision-influencers protects both the decision quality and stakeholder trust.

How to do it

1. For each C, ask: "If we didn’t consult this person, would the decision be worse? Could they veto it for a reason we’d care about?"
2. If the answer is no, demote them to I (Informed). If the answer is yes, keep them as C and actually contact them.
3. Cap C to two or three people per decision; larger groups should be handled with structured input methods, not open-ended consultation.

Evidence

Decision research consistently shows that consulting more people increases decision time and can decrease decision quality through social conformity and information overload. Structured limitation of consultation is a direct application of this. (mechanistic)

The optimal number of consultees varies by decision type and stakes; the "cap at two or three" is a practical heuristic, not a research-derived threshold.

Common mistake

Adding people to C to avoid hurt feelings rather than because their input improves the decision — which creates a long, slow consultation process where most input is ignored anyway.