# Decision Log: [Team, programme or organisation]

> A running register of business decisions: what was decided, by whom,
> on what evidence, which options were rejected and when the decision
> will be reviewed. Use it for commercial, operational, people and
> policy decisions; record software architecture decisions in an
> architecture decision log instead. Replace every `[bracketed]` value
> and every row marked *Example*.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Add a row as soon as a decision is made, ideally in the meeting.
- One decision per row. Link the paper, minutes or analysis behind it.
- Record who had the authority to decide, not only who was present.
- Never delete a row. If a decision changes, add a new row that
  supersedes the old one and set the old status to Superseded.
- Common pitfall: logging actions ("send the proposal") as decisions.
-->

## Document control

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Log ID | [DL-TEAM] |
| Scope | [Team, programme or organisation] |
| Owner | [@owner] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Classification | [Internal / Confidential] |

The example rows use **Saltmarsh Print Works**, a fictional commercial
printer.

## Status values

<!-- Guidance: Use only these values so the log can be filtered. -->

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Proposed | Under discussion, not yet decided |
| Decided | Agreed by the person or body with authority |
| Superseded | Replaced by a later decision (give its ID) |
| Reversed | Withdrawn without replacement |

## Decision register

<!-- Guidance: Keep each cell short; put the reasoning in the linked document. Set a review date for decisions based on assumptions that may change. -->

| ID | Date | Decision | Options considered | Rationale and evidence | Decided by | Consulted | Status | Review date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEC-001 | YYYY-MM-DD | [Decision] | [Options, including do nothing] | [Reason, link] | [@decider] | [@people] | [Status] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| DEC-001 *(Example)* | YYYY-MM-DD | Stop accepting print jobs under 50 copies from new customers | Keep, add minimum charge, stop | Short runs lost money in 9 of 12 months, finance review link | Managing director | Sales, production | Superseded by DEC-003 | YYYY-MM-DD |
| DEC-002 *(Example)* | YYYY-MM-DD | Move the night shift to four ten-hour nights | Keep five nights, four nights | Staff survey and overtime cost analysis | Operations director | Shift leads, HR | Decided | YYYY-MM-DD |
| DEC-003 *(Example)* | YYYY-MM-DD | Accept short runs again with a fixed set-up charge | Stop, minimum charge | Two key customers asked for short runs, pricing analysis | Managing director | Sales, finance | Decided | YYYY-MM-DD |

## Follow-up actions

<!-- Guidance: Actions that carry out a decision, linked by decision ID. Track them here or in the action log. -->

| Decision | Action | Owner | Due | Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [DEC-NNN] | [Action] | [@owner] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Yes / No] |
| DEC-003 *(Example)* | Publish the new set-up charge in the price list | [@sales-lead] | YYYY-MM-DD | No |

## Related templates

- [Architecture decision log](../architecture/architecture-decision-log.md) for technical decisions
- [Decision meeting brief](../meetings/decision-meeting-brief.md) to prepare a decision
- [Meeting notes](../meetings/meeting-notes.md) and [RAID log](../project/raid-log.md) for the meeting record and project risks
- [RACI](./raci.md) to agree who decides what

## Standard and licence note

Based on common governance practice for recording decisions. No
external standard is reproduced; the structure, status values and
fictional Saltmarsh example are original. Template licence: MIT.