Template
Decision log template
This decision log template records each decision a project or team makes: what was decided, when, by whom, the options considered, why this one won, what it changes, and whether it still stands. Decisions are numbered D-01, D-02 and so on, so a later one can replace an earlier one.
Fill in the builder and it writes a summary table and then every decision in full, ready to paste into the project doc or download as Word, PDF, Markdown or a CSV for a spreadsheet.
Decision log · 7 parts
- 01Decision
- 02Date and decided by
- 03Context
- 04Options considered
- 05Why
- 06What it changes
- 07Status
Decision log builder
Add each decision with its date, who made it and its status, then the context, the options and the reason. The log numbers them and builds the summary table as you type. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The log
Decisions
Preview
Your decision log appears here as you add decisions: numbered, with a summary table first and each decision in full below. Or press Fill in an example.
Copy pastes as plain text into email, Slack, Google Docs or Notion. The Word file opens in Word, Pages and Google Docs.
NoteOwl records your meetings on your Mac and writes the key decisions from each one, so you can find when and why anything was decided.
What should a decision log include?
For each decision: a number, the date, who decided, the context, the options considered, why this one, what it changes and its status. The reasoning matters most: it’s what people need when they question the decision months later.
- Decision
- What to writeWhat was decided, in one line anyone on the project can understand.
- Date and decided by
- What to writeWhen it was decided, and the person or group with the authority to decide.
- Context
- What to writeThe problem or question that needed a decision.
- Options considered
- What to writeThe alternatives, so nobody has to ask “did we think about…?”
- Why
- What to writeThe reason this option won. It is the part people forget first.
- What it changes
- What to writeWhat follows from it, including any earlier decision it replaces.
- Status
- What to writeProposed, decided, superseded or reversed.
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| Decision | What was decided, in one line anyone on the project can understand. |
| Date and decided by | When it was decided, and the person or group with the authority to decide. |
| Context | The problem or question that needed a decision. |
| Options considered | The alternatives, so nobody has to ask “did we think about…?” |
| Why | The reason this option won. It is the part people forget first. |
| What it changes | What follows from it, including any earlier decision it replaces. |
| Status | Proposed, decided, superseded or reversed. |
A decision log template to copy
Paste it into the project’s doc, wiki or shared drive and add an entry each time something is decided. It is plain text, so it keeps its shape anywhere; for a spreadsheet, download the CSV from the builder.
Never delete an entry. When a decision changes, add a new one and mark the old one superseded, so the history still makes sense.
DECISION LOG Project or team: Kept by: SUMMARY ID | Date | Decision | Decided by | Status D-01 | | | | proposed / decided / superseded / reversed D-01: [the decision, in one line] Date: Decided by: Status: Context: Options considered: Why: What it changes:
How is a decision log different from meeting minutes?
Minutes record one meeting. A decision log keeps only the decisions, from every meeting and conversation, with their reasons, in one place for the life of the project. Action items and status belong in their own documents.
- Meeting minutes
- RecordsWhat one meeting discussed and decided.
- Kept forThat meeting
- Action item tracker
- RecordsTasks with owners and due dates.
- Kept forUntil each task is done
- Decision log
- RecordsEach decision, its reasons and what it replaced.
- Kept forThe whole project, and after
- Status report
- RecordsWhere the project stands this week.
- Kept forA week
| Document | Records | Kept for |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting minutes | What one meeting discussed and decided. | That meeting |
| Action item tracker | Tasks with owners and due dates. | Until each task is done |
| Decision log | Each decision, its reasons and what it replaced. | The whole project, and after |
| Status report | Where the project stands this week. | A week |
What does a project decision log look like?
Like this log from a bank’s onboarding project: six decisions over five weeks, one superseded by a later decision and one still proposed, each with the options considered and the reason.
DECISION LOG Project or team: Ferncastle onboarding Kept by: Priya Shah Decisions: 6 SUMMARY - D-01 Discovery covers onboarding and identity verification, not the whole app (Sep 9, 2026, Daniel Okafor, Decided) - D-02 Pilot target: week-one onboarding completion from 11% to 20% (Sep 9, 2026, Daniel Okafor and Maya Rao, Decided) - D-03 Pilot runs for twelve weeks (Sep 18, 2026, Daniel Okafor, Superseded) - D-04 Pilot covers personal accounts only (Sep 23, 2026, Daniel Okafor, on Grace Lin’s advice, Decided) - D-05 Pilot cut to eight weeks, focused on camera auto capture (Sep 23, 2026, Daniel Okafor, Decided) - D-06 Pilot kickoff on November 2 (Oct 16, 2026, Daniel Okafor, Proposed) DECISIONS IN DETAIL D-01: Discovery covers onboarding and identity verification, not the whole app Date: Sep 9, 2026 Decided by: Daniel Okafor Status: Decided Context: Only 11% of new customers finish onboarding in their first week, and most drop out at identity verification. Options considered: Research the whole app; Start with onboarding and verification Why: Onboarding is the number the board asks about; payments can wait until next year. What it changes: Payments research moves to next year. D-02: Pilot target: week-one onboarding completion from 11% to 20% Date: Sep 9, 2026 Decided by: Daniel Okafor and Maya Rao Status: Decided Context: The team needed one number to judge the pilot by. Options considered: Several measures; One headline number Why: One number is easy to report to the board and to test against. D-03: Pilot runs for twelve weeks Date: Sep 18, 2026 Decided by: Daniel Okafor Status: Superseded Context: The written proposal planned a twelve-week pilot. Why: Enough time to see week-one completion settle. What it changes: Replaced by D-05. D-04: Pilot covers personal accounts only Date: Sep 23, 2026 Decided by: Daniel Okafor, on Grace Lin’s advice Status: Decided Context: Verifying small-business customers carries extra compliance rules. Options considered: All new customers; Personal accounts only Why: Grace doesn’t want that compliance risk in a first pilot. What it changes: The four small-business owners are still interviewed during discovery. D-05: Pilot cut to eight weeks, focused on camera auto capture Date: Sep 23, 2026 Decided by: Daniel Okafor Status: Decided Context: Finance reduced the pilot budget. Options considered: Keep twelve weeks with a smaller team; Eight weeks on the one flow that matters most Why: The ID photo step is where most customers drop out. What it changes: Supersedes D-03. D-06: Pilot kickoff on November 2 Date: Oct 16, 2026 Decided by: Daniel Okafor Status: Proposed Context: The findings presentation is on October 30. Options considered: October 26; November 2 Why: Starts the pilot the Monday after the findings. What it changes: Proposed by Maya Rao; Daniel confirms by October 23.
How do you keep a decision log?
Name one keeper, log decisions the same day, write the reason while it’s fresh, number every entry, mark replaced decisions as superseded, and point people to the log before a decision is reopened.
- 1
Name a keeper
One person owns the log; anyone can suggest an entry.
- 2
Log it the same day
Write the decision before the meeting notes go out, while the reasons are fresh.
- 3
Write down why
The options and the reason matter more than the decision itself.
- 4
Number every entry
D-01, D-02… so people can refer to a decision by its number.
- 5
Supersede, don’t delete
Mark a changed decision superseded, with the number of the one that replaced it.
Can NoteOwl find the decisions in your meetings?
Yes. Every meeting NoteOwl records on your Mac gets a summary with its key decisions, and later you can ask NoteOwl what was decided about something: it answers from your recordings and cites the passage.
Key decisions in every summary
When a recorded meeting ends, its summary lists the decisions reached. See AI meeting summaries.
Who decided
The Meeting Report template writes the decisions made and who made them. See the meeting minutes template.
Ask when and why
Ask “when did we decide to cut the pilot to eight weeks, and why?” and NoteOwl answers from your meetings, with the passage cited. See chat with your meetings.
FAQ
Questions about decision logs
What is a decision log?
A decision log is a running record of the decisions a project or team makes, with the date, who decided, the options considered and the reasons. It stops settled questions being reopened and helps new people understand why things are the way they are.
What is the difference between a decision log and a RAID log?
A RAID log tracks risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies, and sometimes decisions. A decision log keeps only the decisions, with their reasoning in full. Smaller projects often keep decisions in their own log and risks in the weekly status report.
What is an architecture decision record?
An architecture decision record, or ADR, is a decision log entry for a software design choice, often kept as a Markdown file next to the code: the context, the decision, its status and its consequences. This template has the same parts, plus the options considered.
Who should keep the decision log?
The project manager or the team lead usually keeps it, and anyone can propose an entry. What matters is one owner, so entries are written the same day and in the same way.
Can I keep this decision log in Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. Download the CSV from the builder and open it in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets: one row per decision, with its ID, date, who decided, status, context, options, reason and what it changes.
Can NoteOwl record the decisions made in meetings?
Yes. NoteOwl records the meeting on your Mac and writes a summary with the key decisions, and later you can ask it what was decided and why, with the answer cited from your recordings. No bot joins the call.
Related
- Action item tracker template The tasks that follow from each decision, with owners and dates.
- Meeting minutes template One meeting’s discussion, decisions and actions, with a builder.
- Search across all your meetings Find any passage from any recorded meeting on your Mac.
- Project kickoff meeting agenda Where a project’s first decisions get made.
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macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
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