THE GUIDE
Decision logs and DACI: who decides, and how to remember it
A decision log is a simple list of the decisions your team has made: what, when, who and why. It saves you from re-arguing settled questions and helps new joiners understand how things got the way they are.
DACI is a way to make roles clear before you decide: one Driver, one Approver, Contributors who give input, and people who are Informed afterwards.
The DACI roles
- Driver: runs the process, gathers input, sets the deadline. Not necessarily the most senior person.
- Approver: makes the call. Exactly one person.
- Contributors: people whose knowledge or work is affected. They are asked, but do not decide.
- Informed: told once the decision is made.
What to record
- The question in one line.
- The options you considered.
- What you decided and the main reasons, including what you gave up.
- A date to review it if things change.
Frequently asked questions
Anything that is hard to reverse, affects other teams, or that people will ask about later. Not every small choice.
RACI is for ongoing tasks: who does the work and who is accountable. DACI is for one decision: who drives it and who approves it.
Disagree in the discussion, then commit. Record the concern and the review date so it can be revisited with evidence.
