On large complex projects, a Project Manager’s responsibilities increase when managing scope, time, and cost. So does their need to keep a good memory bank of all the things agreed upon for the project team and stakeholders.

Not keeping track of key decisions can easily send a project spiraling out of control and create churn. For example, revisiting and questioning previously made decisions and undoing decisions without conducting an impact analysis could cause team confusion and frustration, as well as increasing project time and cost.

One way to eliminate the churn is to build a decision log. When building this project management tool, below are some key elements to consider:

  • ID or Identification Number: Numbered decisions help keep the list organized so the team can easily point out which decision they are discussing.
  • Decision Item: Keep the title short and include the object and decision needed.
  • Description: While describing the decision needed, the description should also include the options and expected results in favor of the project’s success.
  • Work stream: In some projects, there are multiple work streams. Indicating which work stream is impacted by the decision helps project teams and stakeholders participate in the next sections.
  • Pros: List the benefits of each option.
  • Cons: List the disadvantages and/or lost opportunities for each option.
  • Priority: Marking decisions between high, medium, and low helps the Project Manager prioritize which decisions are needed first.
  • Status: If the decision will take time to close, track the status by using choices like Not started, In Progress, In review, or Completed.
  • Due Date: This data point is especially important if the decision has a business critical deadline.
  • Decision Owner: If there is a primary decision maker, the Project Manager can follow up with that key stakeholder for any status or decision made. This is especially helpful if the decision was made outside of the project team, like in an executive steering committee.
  • Decision Made: Describe the decision, including any accepted risk whether a positive opportunity or threat to the project.
  • Closed Date: List the date the decision closed.
  • Notes / Next steps: If the decision will undergo multiple rounds of review and discussion, adding this section is helpful for tracking purposes.

Once the fields are filled out, the decision log serves as a helpful tool for the Project Manager to use as the source of truth on decisions throughout the project, as well as reference for any project retrospectives.

Decision Log

Need help building an effective decision log for your project? Relationship One is here to help, contact us today!