Before restructuring anything, map where decisions actually queue. The delay is almost never in the analysis; it is in waiting for a signature.
Map the wait, not the work
Time a representative decision end to end. Separate hands-on minutes from waiting hours. The ratio is usually embarrassing and always instructive.
The delay is almost never in the analysis.
Push the threshold down
Raise the value at which a decision needs escalation until failures start appearing, then step back one notch. Most thresholds were set for a smaller, more fragile company.
Review quarterly
Decision rights drift as people change roles. Revisit the map every quarter or it becomes fiction within a year.
