Who should actually make this call?

A decision that has landed on your desk and may not belong there.

Work out who should own this decision.

1. Who has the most relevant context, who bears the consequences, and who has the authority? When these are different people, that mismatch is usually the real problem.
2. Is this mine to make, mine to recommend, or mine to escalate? Pick one.
3. Who needs to be consulted versus merely informed? Consulting too widely is how a decision dies.
4. What is the cost of the decision sitting unowned for another month? Often this is the largest cost in play.
5. If it is mine, say so and stop me from escalating to avoid responsibility. If it is not, tell me exactly how to hand it over without it bouncing back.

The decision and who is involved:

Framing the decision. Working out what is really being decided, how reversible it is, and whose call it should be.