Decision Record

Worked example

Decision and authority

Configure the existing knowledge-base feature for a bounded comparison. Authority: board decision of 28 August. Ceiling: four staff-days and AUD 1,500, ending 11 September. Fictional questions, repaired approved sources; no live customer actions.

Still uncertain

Benefit over ordinary search, less common wording and source-checking effort. Limited exploratory cases do not establish production performance.

Why acceptable now

The comparison can examine these uncertainties without connecting to live cases, communicating with customers or making financial decisions. Ordinary search remains available; Daniel can disable the feature.

Reconsider if

Processing leaves the permitted route; source or effective-date information disappears; live data or extra authority becomes necessary; effort exceeds the ceiling; no useful result by the end date.

Outcome and next decision

11 September: three and a half staff-days and AUD 900 used. Select the route for an experiment proposal; disable temporary comparison access. The board still decides the experiment budget and scope. Tender assistance has a separate authority and 18 September review.

Complete your decision record

Keep the first record short. Attach evidence or controlled links where needed. An unknown needs an owner and a date. Expand these fields on paper, or use the matching tool at book.almostmagic.io.

Decision and authority

Exactly what is approved; whose authority; for how long and within what budget?

Record:

Alternatives and evidence

Why this route; supporting records, checks and dissent.

Record:

Still uncertain

Which material questions remain unanswered?

Record:

Why acceptable for this decision

Connect each uncertainty to the permitted scope and protections.

Record:

What would make us reconsider

Name triggers, pause owner and action required.

Record:

Communication and next review

Who must know; date; next decision and records to retain.

Record:

Record owner: Date: Review: