Free template
Decision log template for small teams
A decision log is a list of what you decided, why and who agreed. For a side project it takes one minute per entry and ends most "I thought we agreed" arguments.
A record, not a contract. A decision log shows what you agreed and when. It does not assign ownership of code, equity or accounts in law. For that, use a founders agreement.
Why keep one
Small teams decide things in chat and forget where. Three months later nobody remembers why you moved the hosting, who agreed to a bigger bill or when the domain changed hands. A decision log keeps that in one place.
It is most useful for the decisions that touch money and ownership: a new paid tool, a change of who pays, a change of who is the admin on an account.
What to log, and what not to
- Log: spending above your agreed line, a new paid tool, a change of owner, payer or admin on any account, a change of scope, a change of split.
- Skip: small daily choices that cost nothing and are easy to undo.
- Never write: passwords, recovery codes or personal data you do not need.
The columns
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Date | When you decided. |
| Decision | One sentence, as an action: "Move hosting billing to the project card". |
| Why | The reason in one line. This is what you will forget. |
| Decided by | Who agreed. Both names for anything about money or ownership. |
| Told or consulted | Anyone else who needs to know. |
| Cost or ownership impact | The amount, or which account changes hands. |
| Review on | A date to check whether it still makes sense. |
Copy the template
Download the CSV (opens in Google Sheets, Excel and Numbers). Or copy this table.
| Date | Decision | Why | Decided by | Told or consulted | Cost or ownership impact | Review on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A filled-in example (illustrative)
Two co-founders and a freelancer. The entries and amounts are made up to show the method.
| Date | Decision | Why | Decided by | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Nov | Move hosting billing to a project card. | One person's card was a single point of failure. | A and B | EUR 20 per month now paid by the project, split 50/50. |
| 10 Nov | Add B as second admin on the domain. | Only A could renew it. | A and B | No cost. B can now renew and recover. |
| 17 Nov | Buy an AI plan for the project. | Saves about two hours a week on support replies. | A and B | EUR 20 per month. Review on 17 Feb. |
| 24 Nov | Drop the mobile app from scope. | Not enough time before launch. | A and B, freelancer told | Freelancer's quote reduced. |
The log answers three questions months later: what changed, why, and who agreed.
Five rules that keep it alive
- Add entries, do not rewrite them. If you change your mind, add a new entry that replaces the old one.
- Both people agree on money and ownership entries. A short "yes" in chat is enough, and the log records it.
- Log the same day. A week later you will have forgotten the why.
- Keep it in one shared place that both of you can open, such as a shared sheet.
- Read it at each review date. That is when it pays off.
Do it with AI
Turn a chat into log entries
Paste a chat export, with no passwords, into Claude or ChatGPT to find the decisions you already made.
Below is a chat between two co-founders. Find the decisions that involve money, ownership of an account or a change of scope. For each one, output a row with: date, decision (one sentence as an action), why (only if stated, otherwise write "not stated"), decided by, told or consulted, cost or ownership impact, review date (leave empty). Do not invent reasons or amounts. List anything unclear as a question for us. Chat: [PASTE HERE]
Frequently asked questions
What is a decision log?
A running list of decisions: what was decided, why, by whom and when to review it.
How is a decision log different from meeting notes?
Meeting notes record what was said. A decision log records only what was decided, so it is short and easy to search.
Should we log every decision?
No. Log decisions about money, ownership, scope and anything hard to undo.
Where should we keep it?
In one shared place both of you can open, for example a shared spreadsheet. It should not live in one person's private notes.
Use it with
- Team charter: sets who decides and the spending line you log against.
- Project ledger sheet: the record of what was actually paid.
- RACI matrix: who is accountable for each task.