Decision Log

Weeks later, people often remember the decision but forget the rationale.

Once rationale is lost, settled debates reopen.

Meeting notes capture what was discussed.

Decision Logs retain consequential choices: what was chosen, rejected, why, and what changed.

Question — what problem or choice needed resolution?

Decision — what direction was selected?

Rationale — why was it selected?

Owner — who owns execution or protection of the decision?

Consequence — what changed in scope, timing, risk, or dependencies?

A decision without rationale is difficult to reevaluate when context changes.

Rationale shows when the old decision still holds and when it should be reconsidered.

Not every small option needs logging.

For important decisions, rejected alternatives and trade-offs improve future review.

A draft decision differs from an approved one. An older decision may later be superseded.

If only one person remembers why the team chose A, the project carries knowledge risk.

A log turns tacit memory into shared memory.

A sequence of decisions shows how a team reasons through constraints and trade-offs.

It becomes proof of judgment, not only output.

Forwork can include a Decision Block: Question, Decision, Rationale, Alternatives, Owner, Date, Status, Consequences, Related Evidence.

Each decision can connect to Milestones, Scope, Risk, and Results.

Do not only ask, “What did we decide?”

Ask: “Can someone joining later understand why this decision was made and how it changed the project?”

Question → Decision → Rationale → Owner → Consequence.