Figure out whose decision this actually is before making it
A decision made by the wrong person is a process failure regardless of whether the actual answer turns out right.
- Use it for
- Anyone facing a decision who isn't sure if it's actually theirs to make alone.
It's easy to jump straight into deliberating about what the right answer is without first checking whether the decision is actually yours to make alone, needs input from others, or belongs to someone else entirely — a well-reasoned decision made by the wrong person still creates real problems, even when the reasoning itself was sound. This prompt checks decision ownership before spending effort on the decision itself.
When not to use this
If it's already clear this decision is unambiguously yours to make alone, this check adds nothing — proceed straight to deciding.
Did this work?
You know specifically who has actual decision authority here, and who just needs to be consulted or informed, before proceeding.
Tested on claude-opus-5. Evidence status is draft; it moves to battle-tested only on recorded runs, never by hand.