Decision Records
42 articles on decision records. Page 1 of 2.
A Decision Log Template That Records Why the Obvious Option Lost
Six fields, half a page, ten minutes. The field that matters is why the option everyone reaches for first was rejected. With a filled example.
Who Gets to Decide What: A Decision Rights Map
A simple decision rights map that shows who gets to decide what, so choices stop stalling. Build yours in five clear steps.
Keeping a Decision Log Across Three Time Zones
How to keep a shared decision log working across three time zones, so handoffs are clean and no one waits a morning for an answer.
Why Decisions Move Slower Across Time Zones
Distributed decisions slow down for reasons that have little to do with effort. Here is why time zones add drag, and what actually helps.
What a Source of Truth Needs That a Wiki Lacks
A wiki stores pages. A real source of truth for decisions needs four things a wiki lacks. Here is what they are and why they matter.
Notes Nobody Reads vs Answers Somebody Asked For
There is a difference between recording what happened and answering what a teammate needs. Why notes go unread, and what an answer looks like.
How to Reconstruct Who Approved a Decision
A step by step way to reconstruct who approved a decision when the trail has gone cold, using the threads, docs, and tickets you already have.
What Walks Out the Door When an Engineer Leaves
When an engineer leaves, the code stays but the reasoning behind it goes. Here is what that knowledge loss actually looks like, and how to soften it.
ADRs Cover Architecture. This Covers the Rest
ADRs are great for architecture decisions. Most of the decisions that trip up teams are not architectural. Here is how to capture those too.
Async Decision Making Without a Meeting to Ratify It
How to make and finalize decisions asynchronously, without a meeting to rubber-stamp them, using a clear written process teams can trust.
The Decisions That Never Make It Into Confluence
Six kinds of decisions that live in DMs and meetings and never get written down, plus how to catch them before they vanish.
12 Chief of Staff Resources for a New Title
Twelve vetted Chief of Staff resources for new hires: canon articles, books, communities, courses, newsletters, and a podcast to get you started.
How to Track Decisions across a Team
Where did we land on this, and why can nobody answer it? Here is how to keep a record of decisions across a team so the reason is findable when the owner is off.
Architecture Decision Record Tools
A rundown of architecture decision record tools, plus the harder problem: the many decisions that never become an ADR and vanish when their author is off.
System of Record vs Source of Truth
System of record vs source of truth: one designates who owns data, the other is the trusted tiebreaker for a fact. A clear comparison and why decisions need both.
Decision Authority Matrix
A decision authority matrix maps who can decide what, so work does not stall when the owner is off. Here is how to build one that holds up under real questions.
Engineering Decision Log
An engineering decision log records what you chose and why, in plain words, so the reason survives the person. Here is how to keep one people actually read.
How to Document Decisions for Remote Teams
Document decisions for remote teams with a five-field record capturing what, who, why, when, and reversibility. A practical guide to durable decision records.
How to Preserve Decisions When People Leave
Preserve decisions when people leave by capturing them continuously and running a departure checklist. What to record and how to hand off open decisions.
Institutional Knowledge Retention Tools
Institutional knowledge retention tools capture the decisions, rationale, and context that leave with people. Compare the categories and what actually retains reasoning.
How to Build a System of Record for Decisions
Build a system of record for decisions by choosing one canonical home, defining a five-field schema, and making declaration part of the workflow.
The Decision Log for Distributed Teams
A decision log for distributed teams is a declared, running list of decisions with decider and rationale, kept in one place every region can trust and query.
How to Build a Single Source of Truth for Decisions
A single source of truth for decisions is one declared, authoritative record per decision. Learn how to build one that your team actually trusts.
What Happens to Your Team's Decisions When Someone Leaves
When someone leaves, their reasoning usually leaves with them. Here is how declared records keep decisions answerable after they go.
Your team’s week, answered from the work.
If this is your team’s week, see what a StandIn does with it.