The System Wasn’t Stalled-The Decisions Were Gone
Article summary
The System Wasn’t Stalled-The Decisions Were Gone In the aftermath of most acquisitions, attention tends to focus on codebases, platforms, integrations. Diagrams get drawn. APIs get mapped. Roadmaps get rewritten. What often gets missed is the most brittle system of all: the one that doesn’t run on machines, but on people making decisions. Every architecture is supported by a hidden mesh of agreements, rituals, and instincts. Things that never show up in any documentation but determine how systems evolve, how incidents are handled, and how ambiguity gets resolved. When two organizations merge, the visible systems get migrated. The invisible ones often evaporate. What disappears is not technical design, but decision design. The System Behind the System Every long-running engineering team builds informal scaffolding: These aren’t process checklists.
Read Full Article on MediumPractical takeaway
The main idea behind The System Wasn’t Stalled-The Decisions Were Gone is to help teams move from broad theory to clear, repeatable decision making. When teams apply this thinking, they reduce ambiguity and focus on improvements that deliver measurable momentum.
Example scenario
Imagine a team facing competing priorities. By applying the ideas in The System Wasn’t Stalled-The Decisions Were Gone, they can map dependencies, identify risks and choose the next move that produces progress without destabilizing their system.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to redesign everything instead of taking small steps.
- Ignoring real constraints like incentives, ownership or legacy systems.
- Creating documents that do not lead to any change in code or decisions.
How to apply this in real work
Start by identifying where The System Wasn’t Stalled-The Decisions Were Gone already shows up in your architecture or delivery flow. Then pick one area where clarity would reduce friction. Apply the idea, measure its effect and share the learning.
Signs you are doing it correctly
- Teams make decisions faster and with fewer disagreements.
- Architectural conversations become clearer and less abstract.
- Changes land safely with fewer surprises or rework cycles.