The six fields worth keeping
A useful log does not need a long essay. It needs enough detail to let your future self understand the call without guessing what you knew at the time.
- Decision: the path you chose and the alternatives you declined.
- Evidence: the source-backed facts and the assumptions you accepted.
- Expected result: what you think will happen and by when.
- Risk: the downside that would matter most.
- Trigger: what would make you revisit the call.
- Closeout: what happened, with a link, metric, or artifact.
Use the log before the meeting ends
Write the record while the choices and tensions are still visible. If a dissenting view was persuasive but not decisive, preserve it. That is often where the later learning is.
- Keep the language specific enough to be falsifiable.
- Avoid words like “better” without a measurable comparison.
- Attach the source or artifact rather than copying a long summary.
Review outcomes without punishing good judgment
A sound decision can produce a poor outcome, and a weak decision can get lucky. Review both the reasoning and the result before changing your process.
- Ask whether the original evidence supported the probability you assigned.
- Look for a missing variable, not a person to blame.
- Use the lesson to improve the next decision, not to claim perfect foresight.