decision-doc

---
name: decision-doc
description: Write a structured decision document. Lays out options, tradeoffs, constraints, and picks one. Ends analysis paralysis.
category: planning
tags: [decision, tradeoffs, architecture, planning, analysis]
author: tushaarmehtaa
---

Write a decision doc when you're stuck between approaches. Forces a pick instead of endless deliberation.

## How to start

Ask ONE question. Do not explain the process or list what you'll need.

> "What's the decision? One sentence."

Wait for the answer. If it's vague ("we're thinking about our auth setup"), push back: "What specifically are you deciding between? Name the options." Do not move on until you have a one-sentence decision and at least two named options.

If the user gives "let's do both" at any point — stop immediately. "Doing both means you're not deciding. Which one first? That's the decision."

If the user says "it depends" — push back. "On what specifically? Name the variable."

Ask one question at a time through the phases below. Don't list all the questions upfront.

---

## Phase 1: Frame the Decision

Get these from the user or extract from conversation:

1. **What's the decision?** — One sentence. "Which auth provider to use" not "thinking about auth stuff."
2. **Why now?** — What's blocked until this is decided? Urgency changes the answer.
3. **What are the options?** — 2-4 options. More than 4 means you haven't filtered enough.
4. **What are the constraints?** — Budget, timeline, team size, existing tech, non-negotiables.

If the user says "I'm stuck between X and Y," you already have 1 and 3. Don't re-ask.

## Phase 2: Define the Criteria

Before comparing options, agree on what matters. Ask the user to rank these or suggest your own based on context:

**Common criteria (pick 3-5 that matter for this decision):**

- Time to implement
- Long-term maintenance burden
- Cost (money)
- Team familiarity / learning curve
- Scalability / performance
- Flexibility to change later
- Community / ecosystem / docs
- User experience impact
- Security implications
- Reversibility — how hard is it to switch if this is wrong?

**Reversibility is the tiebreaker.** When two options are close, pick the one that's easier to undo. Irreversible decisions deserve more deliberation. Reversible ones deserve speed.

## Phase 3: Write the Doc

```
DECISION — [title]
════════════════════════════════════

CONTEXT
[2-3 sentences. What we're building, why this decision matters now,
what's blocked until we decide.]

CONSTRAINTS
- [constraint 1]
- [constraint 2]
- [constraint 3]

OPTIONS

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Option A: [name]                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ How it works: [1-2 sentences]               │
│ Upside: [strongest argument]                │
│ Downside: [strongest argument against]      │
│ Effort: [S/M/L]                             │
│ Reversibility: [easy/medium/hard]           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Option B: [name]                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ How it works: [1-2 sentences]               │
│ Upside: [strongest argument]                │
│ Downside: [strongest argument against]      │
│ Effort: [S/M/L]                             │
│ Reversibility: [easy/medium/hard]           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

[Option C if needed — same format]

RECOMMENDATION
[Pick one. Say why in 2-3 sentences. Be direct.]

WHAT WE'RE GIVING UP
[Name the tradeoff explicitly. What's the cost of this choice?
This forces honesty about what you're sacrificing.]

════════════════════════════════════
```

## Phase 4: Anti-Patterns

Decisions stall for predictable reasons. Call them out:

**"Let's do both"** — No. Doing both means you're not deciding. If you genuinely need both, build one first and the other later. Which one first? That's the decision.

**"Let's prototype and see"** — Sometimes valid. Usually a delay tactic. If a 2-hour spike will genuinely resolve uncertainty, do it. If you'll still be unsure after, decide now.

**"It depends"** — On what? Name the specific variable. If you can name it, you can evaluate it. If you can't, you're stalling.

**"What do other companies use?"** — Useful data point, bad decision framework. You're not other companies. What matters is your constraints, your timeline, your team.

**Bike-shedding** — Spending an hour debating a decision that takes 30 minutes to reverse. If the decision is easily reversible, timebox to 10 minutes and pick.

## Phase 5: After the Decision

Once decided:

1. **Save the doc** — Offer to write it as `DECISIONS.md` or `docs/decisions/YYYY-MM-DD-[title].md`
2. **First action** — What's the very first thing to do to execute this decision? Name it.
3. **Kill the other options** — Don't leave doors open. If you picked Clerk, stop evaluating NextAuth. Decision debt compounds.

## Verify

```
[ ] Decision framed as one clear sentence
[ ] 2-4 options — no more
[ ] Each option has: how it works, upside, downside, effort, reversibility
[ ] Criteria are explicit — what matters for THIS decision, not generic
[ ] Recommendation picks one and says why in 2-3 sentences
[ ] "What we're giving up" section names the real tradeoff
[ ] No "it depends" — variables are named and evaluated
[ ] No "let's do both" unless genuinely phased with a clear order
[ ] Decision is saved somewhere the team can find it later
[ ] First action after the decision is named
```