Reversible by Design: Why the Ability to Undo Is a Business Decision

Many business processes assume that mistakes can be corrected later, while many IT systems quietly treat certain actions as permanent: approving a payment, changing a customer record, publishing a price, deleting data, or triggering an external notification. This episode examines reversibility as a business–IT design decision rather than a purely technical feature. From the business side, Mirko Peters explores the pressure to move quickly and the hidden assumption that exceptions can be handled manually. From the IT side, he explains why reversing an action may involve distributed systems, audit requirements, legal constraints, downstream processes, and questions about which version of the truth should prevail. The central lesson is practical: before automating an important action, decide what must be undoable, what requires compensation instead, who can authorize correction, and how the organization will learn from errors. Listeners gain a clear framework for distinguishing safe speed from irreversible carelessness.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/business-it-it-business--6867401/support.To continue the conversation, follow Mirko Peters on LinkedIn, where more insights and real-world examples are shared from both business and IT perspectives.