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Document product decisions

Turn meeting notes and issue threads into decision records with rationale.

For
Product & leadership
Time
10 minutes
Difficulty
Beginner

The problem

Important decisions get lost in meeting notes and scattered issue threads. Six months later, no one remembers why you chose option A over B. Smaran connects those sources so you can create decision records with the full context: what was decided, alternatives considered, rationale, and when to revisit.

What you need before starting

Meeting notes or discussion transcript
Where the decision was debated
Issue threads or proposal docs
Written analysis and alternatives
Constraints or requirements (optional)
Budget, timeline, technical limits

Step-by-step workflow

STEP 1

Add decision context sources

Go to Sources and upload meeting notes, issue thread exports (or paste URLs), and any proposal or analysis docs that informed the decision.

Success looks like: All decision-related sources indexed in workspace.
STEP 2

Extract decision elements

In chat, ask: "What decision was made?", "What alternatives were considered?", "What constraints influenced this?", "Who are the key stakeholders?"

Success looks like: Cited answers linking to specific meeting notes or issue comments.
STEP 3

Create decision record artifact

Create artifact titled "Decision: [Topic]". Structure: Decision, Context, Alternatives, Rationale, Owners, Revisit Date, Follow-ups.

Success looks like: Blank decision log ready for synthesis.
STEP 4

Draft decision summary

Ask chat: "Summarize the decision in one sentence", "List alternatives that were rejected", "Explain the rationale with citations". Insert and refine.

Success looks like: Clear decision statement with alternatives and reasoning.
STEP 5

Add explicit revisit date

Based on constraints or timeline, add a "Revisit on [date]" field. Ask chat if sources mention timing or milestones for re-evaluation.

Success looks like: Decision includes when/why it should be reconsidered.

What good output looks like

Decision:
Defer custom role creation to Q4, ship Admin/Member roles only in Q3.
Context:
Users need team workspace permissions. Initial scope included custom roles (meeting notes, line 34).
Alternatives considered:
  • • Ship custom roles now (rejected: 3-week delay, issue #247)
  • • Ship no roles (rejected: blocks team use case, meeting notes)
Rationale:
Admin/Member covers 85% of use cases (user research brief, page 4). Custom roles add migration complexity (architecture notes, section 3.2). Q3 timeline too tight.
Owners:
PM: Alex, Eng lead: Jordan
Revisit:
Q4 planning (Oct 2025). Re-evaluate if >20 custom role requests come in.

Common mistakes and fixes

Recording the decision without alternatives

Saying "we chose X" without explaining what else was considered makes it hard to revisit later.

Fix: Always list rejected alternatives and why they were rejected.
Missing revisit date or conditions

Decisions without expiry dates become permanent by default.

Fix: Add explicit "Revisit on [date]" or "Revisit if [condition]" to every decision.

Reusable prompt template

Document decision from [meeting notes/issue thread].

Include:
- One-sentence decision statement
- Context and constraints
- Alternatives considered and why rejected
- Rationale with citations
- Owners
- Revisit date or conditions

Cite sources for all claims about constraints and alternatives.

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Ready to document your decisions?

Connect your meeting notes and follow this guide in Smaran.

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