Chickens and Pigs

A Pig and a Chicken are walking down the road.
The Chicken says: "Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant!"
Pig replies: "Hm, maybe, what would we call it?"
The Chicken responds: "How about 'ham-n-eggs'?"
The Pig thinks for a moment and says: "No thanks. I'd be committed, but you'd only be involved."

Most people who are involved in a project are not committed. They are chickens. And while they make decisions that affect the project, they are not committed in the same way as the development team are.

The development team are the ones who are responsible for what is delivered. They are pigs. Their actions directly affect the project.

A chicken making decisions on behalf of the pigs can adversely affect the team's ability to do their job. As the chicken has no skin in the game, their decisions are divorced from the consequences.

A pig who acts like a chicken is also problematic. If they are not committed to delivery, their involvement detracts from the team's collective ability to deliver.