Snowball clause
It is a generally accepted standard that users should follow, though it should be treated with common sense and the occasional exception. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. When in doubt, discuss on the talk page, Babel or at RfC.
The "snowball clause" follows from the Ignore all rules policy, the fact that Wikipedia is not a bureaucracy, and common sense. The snowball clause states:
- If an issue doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting an unexpected outcome from a certain process, then there is no need to run it through that process.
For example, deletion policy states, "If a clear consensus for non-deletion is quickly reached, discussion may be closed before the end of the typical period". Conversely, the policy also states that "any substantial debate" is a good reason not to close early. Similarly, if an article is deleted for a reason not explicitly listed in the criteria for speedy deletion but it would almost certainly be deleted via the article deletion process anyway, there's little sense in undeleting it.
In dubious cases, or instances of genuine contention in the Wikipedia community, it is best to settle the dispute through the full process. This should not be done merely to assuage complaints that process wasn't followed, but to produce a correct outcome that requires the full process. Allowing a process to continue to its conclusion may allow for a more reasoned discourse, ensures that all arguments are fully examined, and may maintain a sense of fairness. However, process for its own sake is not part of Wikipedia policy.