The best way to make a decision is to decide
Quoting: The best way to make a decision is to decide - Duck Alignment Academy —
Making decisions in an open source community is hard. Most communities have some sort of consensus model where major decisions require broad support. There’s not just one Big Boss who can come in and unilaterally decide. But sometimes decisions become bogged down in an attempt to get unanimous support or achieve the One Best Decision™. If you’re the person who is supposed to make the decision, make the damn decision.
Consensus is important. People want to feel like their input matters, especially when they’re contributing on a volunteer basis. If participating in your project stops being fun, people will leave. It’s hard to make sustainable progress if you can’t get the majority to go along with you.
But we sometimes overcorrect toward consensus. In those cases, the decision drags on. If a decision is ever made, it no longer has momentum. It might be the most correct decision, but it loses impact because it sits in a state of limbo for months.