RESEARCH / WORKFLOW 06

Decision memo.

Compare options against your criteria and keep facts, assumptions, and tradeoffs visible.

Use this template

The workflow

Define the decision

Explain what is in scope and which choices are genuinely available.

Set the criteria

Use criteria that matter to your situation. Do not let a model silently choose their importance.

Compare with evidence

Require the memo to separate confirmed information, estimates, and unknowns.

Challenge the recommendation

Ask what evidence would change the conclusion. Resolve important unknowns before committing.

IN PRACTICE / ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE

Illustrative input: compare maintaining an existing content system with moving to a new one. The memo should show migration effort, ongoing ownership, and unresolved requirements without inventing cost estimates.

Before you use the result

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Criteria come from the decision ownerAssumptions are labelled separately from factsTradeoffs and unknowns are visibleThe recommendation explains what could change it

MAKE IT FIT YOUR TASK

Your context makes
the difference.

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