Decision-making glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms teams use when they talk about how they decide. Each entry answers the question directly in the first sentence, then goes exactly as deep as the term deserves.
Decision log
A decision log is a single, shared list of the decisions a team has made, with the date, the people involved, and the reasoning for each. Its job is to make past decisions findable and citable, so settled questions stay settled.
Decision record
A decision record is a durable document of a single decision: the question, the outcome, who was involved and where each person stood, and the reasoning. Unlike meeting minutes, it is indexed by the question rather than by the event where the decision happened.
Decision debt
Decision debt is the accumulated cost of decisions that were made but not recorded: lost reasoning, unclear ownership, and settled questions that reopen. Like technical debt, it compounds quietly and gets paid back with interest, usually as repeated debates and inconsistent execution.
Decision journal
A decision journal is a record written at the moment of deciding that captures the decision, the expected outcome, and the decider's confidence, so judgment can later be compared against what actually happened. It exists to counteract hindsight bias and outcome bias.
DACI framework
DACI is a decision-making framework that assigns four roles for a single decision: the Driver who runs the process, the Approver who makes the final call, Contributors whose input is consulted, and Informed parties who are told the outcome. Its purpose is to prevent decisions stalling because nobody knows who decides.
Decision matrix
A decision matrix is a tool for choosing between options by scoring each one against a shared set of weighted criteria, then comparing totals. Its job is picking an option, not recording one: it belongs to the moment before a decision, while a decision log or decision record captures what happened after.
RACI matrix
A RACI matrix is a responsibility chart that assigns one of four roles to each person for each piece of work: Responsible (does the work), Accountable (answers for it, exactly one person), Consulted (gives input), and Informed (is kept up to date). It clarifies execution roles rather than decision authority.
RAPID framework
RAPID is a decision-rights framework, associated with Bain & Company, that separates five roles in a major decision: who Recommends, who must Agree, who Performs the outcome, who provides Input, and who ultimately Decides. Its distinctive move is splitting the recommender from the decider.
Async decision-making
Async decision-making is the practice of making team decisions without requiring everyone in the same meeting or time zone: the question, the options, and each stakeholder's position are collected in writing over a defined window, and the decision is closed by an owner. It trades meeting speed for participation, documentation, and time-zone fairness.
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