Centralize vs decentralize control: Centralize for infrequent/global decisions; decentralize for time-critical local decisions.

• A. Centralize for all decisions
• B. Centralize for infrequent global decisions; Decentralize for time-critical local decisions
• C. Decentralize for global decisions
• D. Centralize for daily operational choices

Answer: (B)

In scaled agile decision-making, you want to concentrate governance where it matters for the whole system, while empowering teams where speed and local context are essential. Centralizing for infrequent, global decisions ensures consistency, governance, and architectural integrity across the entire value stream. Decentralizing for time-critical local decisions lets teams respond quickly to changing conditions, customer needs, and local constraints without waiting for a central authority.

That’s why centralizing for all decisions would create bottlenecks and slow execution, centralizing daily operational choices would squelch team autonomy and responsiveness, and decentralizing global decisions would risk misalignment and inconsistent direction. The pattern described—centralize for infrequent global decisions and decentralize for time-critical local decisions—best balances coherence with speed.