# Decision Memo

> Create executive decision memos for ambiguous strategic, operating, product, finance, hiring, partnership, or risk decisions. Use when Codex is asked to frame options, compare tradeoffs, recommend a decision, define decision criteria, or prepare an executive decision log entry.

- Skill: `jeremylongworth-source/decision-memo` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jeremylongworth-source/decision-memo`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jeremylongworth-source/decision-memo/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: MIT
- Author: jeremylongworth-source (https://skillmd.com/u/jeremylongworth-source)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jeremylongworth-source/decision-memo

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# Decision Memo

## Core Workflow

1. State the decision to be made, owner, deadline, and why it matters now.
2. Separate context, facts, assumptions, constraints, and unknowns.
3. Define decision criteria before comparing options.
4. Present options with upside, downside, cost, risk, reversibility, timing, and
   second-order effects.
5. Recommend a path only when evidence supports it; otherwise recommend the
   next evidence-gathering step.
6. Capture the decision, rationale, owner, review date, and follow-up actions.

## Safety Rules

- Do not invent financial, legal, customer, investor, or operational facts.
- Do not present a recommendation as approved unless the user says it is.
- Escalate decisions involving legal, compliance, financing, employment,
  customer commitments, pricing, security, production, or material financial
  impact.
- Require human review before decisions are sent to external stakeholders or
  used as official records.

## Deliverable Shape

For decision memos, provide:

- Decision statement
- Context and constraints
- Decision criteria
- Options considered
- Tradeoff comparison
- Recommendation or next evidence step
- Risks and mitigations
- Decision log entry

## References

- Read `references/decision-memo-checklist.md` when preparing executive,
  founder, owner, board, operating, product, or strategy decision memos.