Copy the template that helps your next decision. Fill in only the lines that matter. The worked examples are in A useful first attempt, Improving without starting over and Six weeks to learn together.
A first attempt
- Person to help: …
- Problem observed: …
- Assumption: …
- Smallest version that tests it (one hour if you can): …
- What we look at, and when: …
- What cannot be undone, and must be checked first: …
- Result: observed / not known yet: …
- Decision: carry on, change, or stop: …
A decision note
- Decision, owner, date: …
- Options, including keeping what exists: …
- Choice and reason: …
- What we do not know: …
- The fact that would make us revisit it: …
- At review: result, and next step: …
Keep the original reasoning. Add the result afterwards without rewriting what was known at the time.
A before and after
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| What the person does | … | … |
| Time or effort | … | … |
| Errors, returns or requests | … | … |
| Load moved onto someone else | … | … |
| How we measured, over how many cases | … | … |
Decision and next check: …
A handover
- What is finished, and what is still open: …
- What is handed over, and to whom: …
- Accepted by (their words): …
- Who to ask if it gets stuck: …
- Date my part ends: …
Backing someone
- Help asked for: …
- What I give: …
- Time and date: …
- What this help does not cover: …
- What it made possible, afterwards: …
A log of decisions and results
| Date and what we saw | Decision and reason | Owner and next check |
|---|---|---|
| … | … | … |
Add a line when a fact changes or confirms a decision.
A team account
- Period and question: …
- What we did: …
- What changed, with numbers: …
- What we do not know yet: …
- What it cost, and what waited: …
- Decision: keep, change, or stop: …
- Who carries what next: …