---
user-invocable: true
name: reversible-irreversible
description: Two-way door vs one-way door - calibrate deliberation to reversibility
tokens: ~250
cloud-ok: true
---

# Reversible vs Irreversible Decisions
#claudeai

## The Framework

**Two-way doors (reversible):** Decide fast, correct later.
**One-way doors (irreversible):** Deliberate carefully.

Most decisions are two-way doors treated like one-way doors. This slows everything down.

## How to Use

### Step 1: Ask the reversibility question
"If this decision is wrong, can we undo it?"

### Step 2: Classify it

| Type | Characteristics | Approach |
|------|-----------------|----------|
| **One-way door** | Can't undo, high stakes, expensive to reverse | Take time, gather data, involve others |
| **Two-way door** | Reversible, low stakes, can correct | Decide fast, don't overthink |

### Step 3: Match deliberation to type
- One-way door: Days to weeks of analysis
- Two-way door: Minutes to hours

## Examples

**One-way doors (be careful):**
- Firing a co-founder
- Selling the company
- Taking on major debt
- Signing a long exclusive contract
- Shutting down a product line

**Two-way doors (move fast):**
- Trying a new marketing channel
- Hiring (can fire if wrong)
- New feature (can roll back)
- Pricing change (can change again)
- Process changes

**Often mistaken for one-way but actually two-way:**
- Most hiring decisions
- Most product features
- Most pricing decisions
- Most partnerships
- Most tool/vendor choices

## Output Format

```
## Decision Type: [Decision]

**The decision:** [What you're deciding]

**Reversibility assessment:**

If wrong, what happens?
[Consequence of being wrong]

Can we undo it?
[Yes/No/Partially]

Cost to reverse:
[Low/Medium/High]

Time to know if wrong:
[Days/Weeks/Months]

**Classification:** One-way door / Two-way door

**Recommended approach:**
[Move fast / Take time]

**If two-way:** Just decide. Set a review date.
**If one-way:** [What additional diligence is needed]
```

## Bezos's Rule

"Most decisions should probably be made with somewhere around 70% of the information you wish you had. If you wait for 90%, in most cases, you're probably being slow."

For two-way doors: 70% is plenty.
For one-way doors: Get closer to 90%.

## Common Trap

Organizations slow down because they treat every decision like a one-way door.

Your job: Identify the two-way doors and give permission to move fast.

---

*"Some decisions are consequential and irreversible... But most decisions aren't like that — they are changeable, reversible — they're two-way doors."* — Jeff Bezos