Collaboration works to a point

Why the hell is it impossible to get someone to make a decision anymore?

These last few days, I've been put in charge of getting a script up and running that fires an email on certain conditions. Not that difficult.

However, the way my place of business works is that everyone and their goddamn mother needs to weigh in on the exact language of any communication sent out! We've had emails hit 17 versions... 17!

So, I get this script up and running, put in the email that everyone said they agreed to, and shoot off a test version. Guess what happens. The email that everyone agreed on, is no longer good enough. So I revise and send again. Then more problems come up. This happens 4 times in about an hour.

Everyone said they liked it. Now no one does. And worst of all, everytime someone proposes a change, we have endless debates on whether it's a good change, or maybe needs an and instead of an or in the second paragraph, or if the sign-off should be different.

For Christ's sake, would the people who are supposed to decide do it already! I can't even do it myself, because once I say "this is how it is", I catch immediate flack for not letting people collaborate enough.

Collaboration is great, until it becomes uncecessary bureaucracy!