I don't get it

I asked what I thought was a simple question of my boss. I thought - if he needed clarification, he'd ask the boss that used to do it in another dept - "what was your figure based on?"

Well, he did, but somehow it evolved into this big group meeting with me, my boss, the former boss of the project, the accounting boss, the second accounting boss, a lesser accountant, and finally a person in planning.

Why would this be?

I just needed a number. How much? Same as last year, or more?; Then I thought my boss and I would determine "how many", and "who." The end. Seemed simple enough to me.

Apparently its much more complicated than that?