Decision record

Skill: pageship-decision-record

A decision record tells the reader what was decided, what else was considered and why it lost, and what follows. A reader who stops after the first lines knows the decision and its status. A reader who goes on can compare the options on the same points.

Your agent picks a decision record when you ask it to record a decision, such as the outcome of a meeting or a choice between tools.

What the reader gets

The parts come in this order:

1. Title and decision. What was decided, at once, in one or two sentences in the source’s words. Then a line with its status, such as decided, proposed or awaiting sign-off, and the date, owner and scope the source gives. When the source hasn’t chosen yet, the record says so.
2. Context. The problem that called for a decision, and the facts behind it.
3. Options considered. A table comparing every option, the chosen one marked in words. Longer notes follow under the table, by option.
4. Consequences. What changes, who must act, costs, risks and expected results, each with the standing the source gives it, such as expected, a target or still to confirm.
5. Open questions.
6. Sources.

How it builds the comparison

The comparison’s points are the criteria the source weighs, such as cost, effort or risk, plus each option’s outcome and the reason for it.

• Every option gets a value on every point, in the source’s units and words.
• Where the source says nothing, the cell says “Not stated”. The agent never infers a value, such as “low” for a cost the source never gives.
• A rejected option carries the reason the source gives. A drawback counts as the reason only when the source ties it to the outcome. When the source drops an option without a reason, the record says so and adds an open question asking why.
• Options keep the source’s order.

When it hands over the file, the agent tells you which comparison points it chose.

Patterns it often uses

• Tables for the comparison of options.

Example request

Record the decision from today's meeting notes in meeting-2026-10-14.md:
we're moving search to the hosted service. Include the options we dropped.