Decision Log

Decision Log

Capture decisions so future-you knows why.

Workflow

1. Capture the decision — Get from the user:

   • What was decided — the actual choice made
   • Context — what prompted this decision? What problem does it solve?
   • Alternatives considered — what other options were evaluated?
   • If the user doesn't provide alternatives, ask: "What other options did you consider?"

2. Document rationale — For the chosen option:

   • Why was this chosen over alternatives?
   • What trade-offs were accepted?
   • What constraints influenced the decision?

3. Assess each alternative — For each option considered:

   • Pros and cons
   • Why it was rejected
   • Under what conditions it might be reconsidered

4. Identify consequences — What follows from this decision:

   • Immediate next actions
   • Long-term implications
   • Reversibility: Is this a one-way door or two-way door?
   • Review trigger: When should this decision be revisited?

5. Link to project — Connect the decision to:

   • Relevant project docs in the vault ([[Project Name]])
   • Related prior decisions
   • People involved in the decision

Output Format

---
type: decision
status: decided
date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
project: [[Project Name]]
decision-makers: [list]
reversibility: [one-way-door | two-way-door]
review-by: [YYYY-MM-DD or trigger condition]
tags: [decision, project-name, topic]
---

# Decision: [Short Title]

## Context

[What prompted this decision? What problem are we solving?]

## Decision

**We chose**: [the decision]

## Alternatives Considered

### Option A: [Name] (chosen)
- **Pros**: ...
- **Cons**: ...

### Option B: [Name] (rejected)
- **Pros**: ...
- **Cons**: ...
- **Why rejected**: ...

### Option C: [Name] (rejected)
- **Pros**: ...
- **Cons**: ...
- **Why rejected**: ...

## Rationale

[Why this option? What trade-offs were accepted?]

## Consequences

- **Immediate**: [next actions]
- **Long-term**: [implications]
- **Revisit when**: [trigger condition]

## Related
- [[Related Decision 1]]
- [[Project Doc]]

Vault Integration

• Save to: ~/broomva-vault/decisions/decision-[short-title]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md
• Backlink to the relevant project doc
• If a decisions/ index exists, append the new entry

Behavior

• Don't skip the alternatives — even "we considered nothing else" is worth recording
• Capture the emotional/political context if the user shares it (e.g., "leadership pushed for this")
• For one-way-door decisions, emphasize the review trigger
• Keep it factual — this is a record, not advocacy