Identity programs often inherit invisible liabilities from well‑intended, short‑term decisions—choices that look innocent but create costly cascades during implementation. These decisions (and sometimes existing policies) can introduce maintenance drag, compound complexity, and erase projected ROI. In this talk, I share three real industry cases where foundational choices made under compliance pressure, risk anxiety, or incomplete facts (almost) produced years of rework. Then I introduce a simple, repeatable Decision Cascades Framework: practical checks you can apply in minutes before approving design or policy application. The checks assess complexity delta, maintenance half‑life, and risk‑appetite fit using data, not fear (FAIR‑style reasoning). You will learn how to spot red flags—exception creep, irreversible integrations, and policy-driven rigidity—and quantify the “cost of complexity” with a lightweight scoring rubric that supports transparent governance. Attendees leave with templates, questions to ask in steering committees, and a one‑page pre‑mortem that prevents expensive change programs later. This is a pragmatic, vendor‑neutral session targeted at IAM leaders, architects, and PMOs who want fewer surprises and more measurable outcomes.