Separate a decision record from meeting minutes
Minutes describe what happened in a meeting. A decision record explains a consequential choice in a form that can stand alone. It should help someone who was absent understand what was chosen, why it was reasonable with the information available, and what follows from it.
Not every choice deserves a permanent record. Capture decisions that materially affect scope, timing, cost, risk, ownership, customer experience, or the way future work will be evaluated.
Capture the minimum useful fields
Write one decision per entry. Use a short active title, the date, status, accountable decision owner, context, options considered, the decision itself, rationale, consequences, and a review trigger. Link supporting evidence rather than pasting an unstable copy into the record.
- Context: the constraint or question that required a choice
- Decision: one direct sentence stating what will happen
- Rationale: the evidence and trade-offs that drove the choice
- Consequences: new work, accepted risks, and affected teams
- Review trigger: a date or condition that could invalidate the decision
Record rejected options proportionately
A short note about serious alternatives prevents the same debate from restarting without new evidence. Record why an option was not selected, but avoid turning the log into advocacy or a transcript of who argued for what.
The language should be factual enough that someone who preferred another option can still recognize the reasoning. Sensitive personnel discussion belongs in the appropriate restricted system, not a general project log.
Preserve history when a decision changes
Accepted records should not be rewritten to make the past look consistent with the present. Create a new entry, link it to the old one, and mark the earlier decision as superseded. The sequence shows how context changed and protects the team from rediscovering discarded assumptions.
Assign one owner for maintaining the log's structure, while keeping authorship open to the people closest to each decision.
