Consulted is a two-way relationship. These are people whose expertise or perspective genuinely shapes how the task gets done. You ask them something, they respond, and that response influences the outcome. This is different from simply being informed, a Consulted person's input matters enough that ignoring it would be a mistake. Example: in a software project, the Legal Team is Consulted to ensure the product complies with data privacy regulations, their feedback may directly change how a feature is built. The risk with Consulted is over-inclusion. Every additional person you consult adds a conversation, a delay, a chance for conflicting input. A good practice is to ask: would this task genuinely be worse without this person's input? If the honest answer is no, they likely do not need to be Consulted.

Informed is one-way. These people receive updates on progress or outcomes, but their input does not shape the work. They are stakeholders who are affected by or interested in the outcome, even though they are not directly involved in producing it. Example: in a corporate project, the Sales Team might be Informed about an upcoming product launch so they can prepare their materials in advance. Note, if the Sales Team is the one actually preparing materials, that makes them Responsible for that task, not merely Informed, the distinction is whether they are doing something with the information, or simply receiving it. The same over-inclusion risk applies here as with Consulted. Flooding too many people with updates they do not need creates noise, and important updates get lost in it. Keep the Informed list to people who genuinely need to know.