What a decision log is and why it matters
A decision log is the running record of the choices that shaped the business or project: what was decided, who decided it, and, above all, why. Its value shows up months later, in the moment every team knows: “wait, why did we switch printers?” Without the log, that question triggers either an archaeology dig or a relitigation of a decision that was made properly the first time. With it, the answer is one lookup, and settled things stay settled.
What to include in a decision log
| Field | What goes in it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ID + date | D-14, and when it closed | IDs make decisions citable (“per D-14”) |
| Decision | The chosen path, one clear sentence | A decision implies alternatives existed |
| Decided by | The name or group that closed it | “The meeting decided” is how accountability evaporates |
| Rationale | Options weighed, deciding factor, trade-off accepted | The field that pays the rent, and the one lost fastest |
| Impact + status | What changes; active / superseded / reversed | Superseding beats deleting: the history stays legible |
| Related actions | What the decision set in motion | Connects the log to what happened next |
The discipline worth naming twice: rationale is written for a reader a year from now with no context. “Cheaper” is not a rationale. “8% dearer but 3-week lead times; the September deadline made speed worth more than the margin” is one, and it is the difference between a log and a list of verdicts.
Decision log example
ID: D-30 Date: 18 Jul Decision: Switch timber supply to Fenland Timber from 1 Aug. Decided by: Priya (ops), after team review Rationale: Current supplier’s lead times slipped 6→9 weeks this year; Fenland quotes 3 weeks at 8% higher unit cost. The September fit-out deadline makes speed worth more than the margin. Trade-off accepted: higher cost per job through Q3, review at D-30+90 days. Impact: All orders from 1 Aug; standing order with current supplier cancelled (see actions). Status: active Related actions: cancel standing order (Dev, 25 Jul); set up Fenland account (Ines, 22 Jul)
Free decision log template (plain text, Google Docs, Notion)
Three ways to a log that outlives memory. The plain text pastes cleanly into Google Docs or Notion; the Notion duplicate is the natural running home.
The plain-text template
The full entry format, with rationale as the star field.
DECISION LOG · [Business or project name] Owner: [name] · Lives in: [Notion / Google Docs / wherever it’s read] ID: D-[number] Date: [date] Decision: [what was decided, one clear sentence] Decided by: [name or group] Rationale: [WHY: the options weighed, the deciding factor, the trade-off accepted. Write it as if for someone reading in a year with no context.] Impact: [what changes because of this] Status: [active / superseded by D-x / reversed] Related actions: [what this decision set in motion] ID: D-[number] … (One entry per decision that someone might later ask “wait, why did we…?” about. Rationale is the field that pays the rent; a log of decisions without reasons is just a list of verdicts.)
The AI prompt
Prefer to use your own AI? Copy this into Claude or ChatGPT with a transcript, and it extracts the entries, rationale included.
--- title: Decision Log Generator description: A prompt that extracts decisions and their rationale from a meeting transcript into decision-log entries. author: readywhen source: https://readywhen.ai/decision-log-template homepage: https://readywhen.ai license: CC BY 4.0 (free to use and share with attribution to readywhen) version: 1.0 updated: 2026-07-18 keywords: [decision log template, decision register, project decisions, decision rationale] --- # Decision Log Generator _By readywhen. Full guide + free template: https://readywhen.ai/decision-log-template_ You are extracting decisions from a meeting transcript or notes into decision-log entries. Rationale is the point: capture WHY, not just what. ## Principles - A decision is a chosen path where alternatives existed. "We’ll go with the Corn Exchange" is one; "the invoice went out" is not. - Rationale is written for a reader a year from now with zero context: the options weighed, the deciding factor, the trade-off knowingly accepted. - Capture the rationale said aloud in the room; if the why was never stated, log the decision and mark rationale [UNSTATED: confirm with decider] rather than inventing a justification. - Note who decided. "The meeting decided" is how accountability evaporates. - Distinguish decided from discussed. Log only what actually closed. - Link the actions the decision set in motion, so the log connects to what happened next. ## What I need from you The transcript or notes (paste them) · who attended and who holds decision rights · the log’s next ID number. I’ll return formatted entries, rationale captured from what was actually said, gaps flagged. --- _Made by readywhen. readywhen hears the decision and the why in your meetings, and appends the entry to your log in Notion before anyone forgets the reasons. https://readywhen.ai/decision-log-template_
Let readywhen do itRecommended
Logs die of manual upkeep. readywhen hears the decision close in the meeting, captures the why as it was argued, and appends the entry to your log in Notion, so the record stays current because nobody has to keep it.
The why is said out loud exactly once, in the meeting. readywhen logs it in ~45 seconds, before it becomes next quarter’s “wait, why did we…?”
Let readywhen keep your decision log current
Decision logs fail in a predictable way: they depend on someone remembering to write the entry after the meeting, and the rationale (the whole point) is the first thing memory drops. readywhen removes the remembering: it hears the decision close in the transcript, captures the reasons as they were actually argued, names the decider, and appends the formatted entry to your log in Notion.
Where a decision closed without its why ever being said aloud, it logs the what and flags the rationale for confirmation rather than inventing one. The log stays current because nobody has to keep it.
Works with your existing tools
Decision log FAQs
What is a decision log?
A running record of the significant choices in a business or project: what was decided, when, by whom, and why. Its job is answering next quarter’s “wait, why did we…?” with a lookup instead of an argument, so settled decisions stay settled.
What is the difference between a decision log and meeting minutes?
Minutes record one meeting in full: attendance, discussion, motions, actions. The decision log is cumulative and cross-meeting: only the decisions, with their rationale, in one place. Minutes answer “what happened on the 14th?”; the log answers “why do we do it this way?”
What decisions belong in a decision log?
The ones someone might later question or want to revisit: supplier and tool choices, pricing changes, scope calls, policy shifts, anything with a trade-off. Routine operational calls do not need entries; the test is whether the “why” will matter in six months.
Why is capturing rationale so important?
Because it is the field memory drops first, and the whole reason the log exists. Without the why, a log is a list of verdicts that invites relitigation; with it, new team members inherit the reasoning, and reversals happen because circumstances changed rather than because nobody remembered the original argument.
Is there a decision log template for Google Docs or Excel?
Yes. Copy the plain-text template on this page into Google Docs, Word or Notion, or download it as a file; the fields also drop straight into a spreadsheet. All formats are free.
Can’t I just use ChatGPT or Claude to keep my decision log?
Yes. Paste a transcript and the prompt above, and it extracts the entries. readywhen is the version that does it unprompted: it hears the decision close in the meeting and appends the entry to your log, which matters because logs die of exactly one disease: someone having to remember to update them.
More templates for the record that keeps you sane
Meeting minutes
The formal record: decisions, motions and actions, drafted from the transcript.
Action items
Owned, dated actions and a same-day recap, extracted from your transcript.
Meeting notes
The everyday record: takeaways, decisions and actions from your transcript.
Stop relitigating settled decisions.
Start your log free with readywhen
About the author and editorial standards
About the author. Sançar Şahin is co-founder and CMO of readywhen. readywhen catches everything you say you’ll do and helps you move it forward: drafted, chased or flagged, ready when you are. He builds readywhen in public on LinkedIn.
Editorial standards. No paid placements. The entry fields (ID, decider, rationale, status) reflect common project-governance practice (DACI-style logs among others) rather than a single authority. How this page was made: Sançar built the multi-agent research and drafting system behind it, checks its work at several phases, and approves the final page himself. To flag an error, email hello@readywhen.ai.
Last updated: 19 July 2026.