Decision Capture

Gate 7: Decision Capture

Purpose: Human makes the final decision with the full picture documented.

Announce: "Final Gate - time to decide."

Entry Criteria

• Synthesis Gate completed
• All prior gates documented in artifact
• Recommendation and alternatives clearly articulated

Process

Step 1: Present Summary

Provide a concise decision summary consolidating all prior work:

## DECISION SUMMARY

**DECISION**: [One-line statement of the decision to be made]

**ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED**:
1. [Option A] - [One-line summary]
2. [Option B] - [One-line summary]
3. [Option C] - [One-line summary]

**RECOMMENDATION**: [Recommended option with brief rationale]

**MUST-BE-TRUE**:
- [Critical assumption 1]
- [Critical assumption 2]

**TOP RISKS**:
1. [Risk 1] - [Mitigation]
2. [Risk 2] - [Mitigation]

**EXIT TRIGGERS**:
- [Condition that would reverse this decision]
- [Condition that would reverse this decision]

Step 2: Human Decides

Ask the decision maker:

"What is your decision?"

1. Accept recommendation - Proceed with the recommended option
2. Choose different alternative - Select a different option from those considered
3. Defer - Postpone decision (specify timeline and trigger for revisiting)
4. Cancel - Abandon decision process (document why)

Wait for explicit human choice. Do not proceed without clear direction.

Step 3: Document Rationale

Capture the decision context through targeted questions:

• What was decided? - The specific choice made
• Why this option? - Core reasoning
• What clinched it? - The deciding factor(s)
• Concerns remaining? - Known risks being accepted
• When to revisit? - Review trigger or timeline

Record responses verbatim where possible - the decision maker's own words carry weight.

Step 4: Finalize Artifact

Complete the decision document with final sections:

## DECISION

**Status**: DECIDED
**Date**: [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Decision Maker**: [Name/Role]
**Weight**: [Light/Medium/Complete]
**Upgraded**: [Yes - from X at Gate Y / No]

### CHOSEN OPTION

[Selected alternative with full description]

### RATIONALE

[Why this option was selected - captured from Step 3]

### DECIDING FACTORS

- [Factor 1 that tipped the balance]
- [Factor 2 that tipped the balance]

### REMAINING CONCERNS

- [Accepted risk or uncertainty 1]
- [Accepted risk or uncertainty 2]

### NEXT REVIEW

**Review Date**: [Date or "When triggered"]
**Review Triggers**:
- [Condition requiring earlier review]
- [Exit trigger from earlier analysis]

---

## Document History

| Date | Gate | Summary |
|------|------|---------|
| [Date] | Thesis | [Brief summary] |
| [Date] | Landscape | [Brief summary] |
| [Date] | Research | [Brief summary] |
| [Date] | Calibration | [Brief summary] |
| [Date] | Contrarian | [Brief summary] |
| [Date] | Synthesis | [Brief summary] |
| [Date] | Decision | Decision finalized |

Step 5: Commit and Close

Save the completed artifact:

docs/decisions/YYYY-MM-DD-<decision-slug>/decision.md

Where <decision-slug> is a kebab-case summary of the decision topic.

Inform the decision maker:

"Decision captured and committed. Available commands:

• /advocate - Generate arguments supporting this decision
• /detract - Generate arguments challenging this decision
• /review-decision - Structured review when conditions change"

Depth by Weight

Light: Quick summary, brief rationale capture, minimal but complete artifact.

Medium: Standard summary format, key factors captured, full artifact.

Complete: Comprehensive summary, verbatim rationale capture, complete artifact with full gate history.

Exit Criteria

• Decision explicitly stated by human
• Rationale documented (depth per weight)
• Artifact complete with all required sections
• Document saved to docs/decisions/ directory
• Decision maker informed of post-decision commands

Post-Decision Support

After a decision is captured, several follow-up capabilities remain available:

/advocate

Generate compelling arguments in favor of the decision. Useful for:

• Building stakeholder buy-in
• Preparing presentations
• Strengthening commitment

/detract

Generate thoughtful challenges to the decision. Useful for:

• Stress-testing before announcement
• Preparing for objections
• Maintaining intellectual honesty

/review-decision

Structured process for revisiting decisions when:

• Exit triggers activate
• Scheduled review date arrives
• Circumstances materially change

These commands work with the saved artifact to provide context-aware support.

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