Docs
Decision log template
Every decision with date, owner, status and the reasoning, so nobody has to ask why six months later.
5 database rows
Decision log
| Decision | Date | Status | Area | Owner | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hire a second support person before a fourth engineer | 20 Sept 2026 | Decided | Hiring | Henrik Olsen | First reply time was over 6 hours |
| Drop the Windows desktop app | 19 Aug 2026 | Reversed | Product | Sara Okafor | Reversed after three enterprise pilots required it |
| Move search to Postgres full-text | 15 Oct 2026 | Proposed | Engineering | Ana Ruiz | Cuts one service and the 10-minute delay. See RFC 014 |
| Newsletter every two weeks instead of weekly | 7 Sept 2026 | Decided | Marketing | Rosa Klein | Open rate fell each week we sent weekly |
| Annual plans get two months free | 3 Oct 2026 | Decided | Finance | Tobias Lang | Simpler to explain than a percentage |
What it is
A decision log records every significant decision with the date, the owner, its status and the reason. When someone asks why you chose this, the answer is a search away instead of a memory. Reversed decisions stay in the log with a note, because why you changed your mind matters too.
When to use it
- Teams that make decisions in meetings and chats
- Projects where people join halfway through
- Any decision you expect someone to question later
How to use it
- 01
Log it the same day
Add a row with date, area, owner and a one-line reason. Write the options you considered inside the page.
- 02
Link the source
Mention the meeting notes or design doc with @. The source page then shows the decision under Linked from.
- 03
Track proposals
Use the board by status to see what's still Proposed and waiting for an owner to decide.
- 04
Ask the log
Use Ask your workspace for questions like "Why did we drop the desktop app?"
Or have the AI draft your version
"Create a decision log for a school's parent association with areas for events, budget and communication, and five sample decisions with reasons."
Related templates
All templatesDocs
Design doc (RFC)
A technical proposal with context, the design, alternatives you rejected and a rollout plan, open for comments.
Meetings
Meeting notes database
Every meeting as a row with date, type and attendees, so old decisions are one search away.
- How the AI works
Draft your own with AI
Describe the page you need in one sentence. The AI writes it, and you edit it like any other page.