Decisions
A Decision is an explicit commitment made under uncertainty.
Decisions connect Intent to Change and assign responsibility.
What a Decision is
A Decision:
- chooses one option among alternatives
- accepts specific trade-offs
- commits the system to a direction
- has an identifiable owner
Decisions exist even when undocumented.
CIMP makes them explicit.
What a Decision is not
A Decision is not:
- consensus
- a vague agreement
- an implementation detail
- a post-hoc justification
“Everyone agreed” is not a Decision.
Why Decisions must be fixed
Undocumented Decisions disappear.
When they disappear:
- alternatives are reconsidered repeatedly
- the same debates resurface
- responsibility becomes unclear
- incidents lack context
Fixing Decisions preserves intent across time.
Decision ownership
Every Decision must have:
- a single accountable owner
- a clear scope
- an explicit rationale
Many people may contribute.
One person decides.
Decisions under uncertainty
Decisions are made without complete information.
This is expected.
A good Decision:
- states assumptions
- acknowledges uncertainty
- accepts bounded risk
Waiting for certainty is itself a Decision.
Decision records
Decisions should be recorded in a minimal, durable form.
A Decision record typically includes:
- context
- decision statement
- alternatives considered
- rationale
- consequences
- owner
- date
Brevity is a virtue.
Decisions vs implementation
Implementation may evolve.
The Decision remains stable unless explicitly revisited.
Changing implementation does not automatically change the Decision.
Changing the Decision requires a new Decision.
Decisions and Change
Changes without Decisions rely on implicit authority.
Explicit Decisions:
- clarify why a Change exists
- explain why some risks were accepted
- enable honest incident analysis
Without Decisions, Change becomes guesswork.
Decisions and incidents
After an Incident, Decisions become evidence.
They allow teams to ask:
- was the Decision reasonable at the time?
- were assumptions invalid?
- were consequences acceptable?
Without Decisions, post-incident analysis turns speculative.
Decision drift
Decision drift occurs when:
- implementation diverges silently
- constraints erode
- ownership is lost
Drift is prevented by:
- explicit records
- periodic review
- visible ownership
Final note
Decisions do not need to be perfect.
They need to be remembered.