Reversible and Irreversible Decisions (One-Way or Two-Way-Doors Decisions)

A heuristic for matching deliberation and trial scope to the actual difficulty and consequences of reversing a decision.

The one-way/two-way-door distinction asks how difficult it would be to undo a decision. Bezos uses it to argue for different levels of deliberation: a limited, recoverable choice can often be made through a lighter process than a consequential commitment that is hard to reverse.

Reversibility has several dimensions: time, money, data, reputation, relationships, and effects on other people. A rollback may restore software while leaving an exposure or promise irreversible. Assess those consequences directly, define a recovery path, and make speed proportional to stakes. The seventy-percent-information phrase is a management heuristic, not a measurable universal threshold.

When to use it

When a uniform approval process delays modest trials or when a supposedly reversible choice hides lasting effects.

How it can help

Identify the recovery path and residual effects, then use a process proportionate to stakes, uncertainty, and the cost of delay.