A completed example
This fictional example shows the level of detail to aim for. It is not a customer's work history.
Decision log: Larkspur mobile checkout Kept by: Priya N., product lead Last updated: 14 March D-07 Date: 12 March Decision: Ship guest checkout without account creation in v1. Context: Support keeps getting complaints about forced sign-up. Launch date is 2 April. Options considered: - Guest checkout only - Guest checkout plus optional account after payment - Keep required sign-up Chosen because: Guest checkout only fits the launch date. The optional account can follow in v1.1. Decided by: Priya N. and Tom R. (engineering) Status: Final Revisit: At v1.1 planning D-08 Date: 13 March Decision: Keep the existing address form instead of the new autocomplete component. Context: The autocomplete component failed QA on two older Android phones. Options considered: - Fix autocomplete before launch - Ship the old form and swap later Chosen because: The fix needs a library upgrade that Tom estimates at a week of work. Decided by: Tom R. Status: Final Revisit: 30 April D-09 Date: 14 March Decision: Not yet made. Whether to show estimated delivery dates on the cart page. Context: Warehouse ops has not confirmed cut-off times for the Northgate depot. Options considered: - Show a date range - Show nothing until cut-off times are confirmed Chosen because: Not decided yet. Decided by: Priya N., once warehouse ops replies Status: Open, waiting on Lena from warehouse ops by 18 March Revisit: 18 March
Make it yours
Your draft
The example is fictional. Edits stay in this page and disappear when you leave. Copy or download your work to keep it.
How to fill it in
- Give each decision the next number in sequence so people can refer to it in chats and tickets, for example D-08.
- Write the decision as one plain sentence that someone outside the meeting would understand.
- List the options you actually discussed, including the ones you rejected, and give the single main reason the chosen option won.
- Name the people who made the call and set a status of Final, Open or Reversed. If a decision is still open, write who you are waiting on and by when.
- Add a revisit date or event so the decision gets checked again instead of becoming a permanent rule by accident.
Start from your actual work
On a Mac, Dayflow can help you remember the work behind the update. It drafts a timeline from screen activity. Export a date range as Markdown from Settings → Export. Review that record alongside your calendar and task tracker, then fill in the template above.
For a guided walkthrough, see exporting your work history or drafting a report with Claude Code. Check the assistant's draft before sending it.
Local AI keeps screenshot analysis on-device. Your own cloud provider or Dayflow Pro processes selected screenshots off-device. An assistant can receive the Dayflow data it retrieves in your conversation. Local storage does not make a cloud assistant conversation local. Read the data-flow guide before choosing a workflow.
Questions about this template
What should a decision log include?
At minimum: a number, the date, the decision in one sentence, the context that forced it, the options considered, the reason for the choice, who decided, a status and a revisit date. The rejected options and the reason matter most, because those are what people forget first and argue about later.
What is the difference between a decision log and meeting minutes?
Meeting minutes record what was said in one meeting. A decision log records only the outcomes, across many meetings, chats and emails, in one running list. The log is not a formal approval record either. If a decision needs sign-off from a manager or client, get that separately and note it in the entry.
Who should keep the decision log?
Pick one person, usually the project lead or whoever runs the main meetings, and write their name at the top. Others can suggest entries, but a single keeper stops duplicates and keeps the wording consistent. Store it somewhere the whole team can read, like a shared doc or project wiki.
Should I log decisions that have not been made yet?
Yes. An open entry shows the team that a question exists, what is blocking it and who owes an answer. Mark the status as Open, write who you are waiting on and by when, and leave the reason blank until the call is made. Update the same entry rather than creating a new one.
What do I do when a decision is reversed?
Do not delete or rewrite the original entry. Change its status to Reversed and add a new numbered entry for the new decision, explaining what changed. Mention the old number in the new entry's context. This keeps the history honest and shows why the team changed course.
Can I rebuild a decision log from my past work activity?
Partly. On a Mac, Dayflow drafts a timeline from your screen activity, which can help you find when a document was edited or a thread was active. It cannot tell you what was decided or why. You still need to check the timeline and add verbal and offline discussions yourself.
Use the right format for the next step
- Weekly status report for a concise progress update.
- Daily work log for a record you can come back to.
- Daily standup template for yesterday, today, and blockers.
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