Decision Log
Capture decisions with date and reasoning for retros.
Overview
The Decision Log captures the choices you make and the reasoning behind them, so that when you look back during a retro, a postmortem, or a planning session you have an honest record of how you got here. Memory rewrites the past; a written log of decisions, dated and explained, keeps that drift in check.
Each entry stores the decision, the date it was made, and the context or reasoning that drove it. Over weeks and months the log becomes a searchable timeline of judgement calls — what was tried, what was deferred, what was rejected and why. It is equally useful for solo work and for teams that want a shared record of architectural, hiring, or product choices.
How it works
Add an entry whenever you make a meaningful call. Give it a short title, a date, and a paragraph of reasoning that captures the alternatives considered and the constraints in play. The entry is stored against your account and appears in the running log, sorted by date so the most recent choices are easy to find.
When you revisit a decision later — because circumstances changed, a result surprised you, or someone questions the choice — you can read the original reasoning and judge whether the new context warrants reversing it. Old entries stay intact; you simply log a fresh decision that supersedes them.
Examples
- "Chose Postgres over MySQL — needed JSONB and CTE support; team has more Postgres experience."
- "Postponed mobile app — desktop conversion still climbing, mobile would split engineering effort."
- "Hired contractor instead of full-time — runway only supports six months of commitment right now."
- "Switched to weekly demos — last sprint review surfaced two misalignments we could have caught earlier."
FAQ
What counts as a decision worth logging?
Anything you would struggle to justify in three months if asked. Tool choices, hiring calls, scope cuts, pivots, and policy changes are all good candidates.
Should I log decisions that turned out to be wrong?
Especially those. The reasoning at the time is often more valuable than the outcome, because it shows what information you were missing.
How long should an entry be?
A few sentences is usually enough — the decision itself, the alternatives, and the deciding factor.
Can I edit a decision after it is logged?
The original entry stays intact. If your view has changed, add a new decision that references the old one.
How does this differ from a meeting note?
Meeting notes capture what was discussed. The decision log captures what was decided, with the rationale isolated for easy retrieval.