Accountable Innovation Decision Record Framework

Accountable Innovation Decision Record Framework

Why a decision record is different

Meeting notes describe a conversation. A decision record identifies what was authorized, by whom, on which facts, for what scope, with which objections, controls, and stop conditions.

The original record should remain durable. Later outcomes belong in appended reviews rather than silent rewrites that erase what the team knew at the time.

Required fields

Reversibility

Calling a launch reversible is not enough. The record must identify how rollback works, how long it takes, what data or harm cannot be undone, who can order the stop, and what signal triggers it.

Dissent

The record should preserve material objections without forcing agreement. It should state whether an objection changed scope, controls, timing, or authority. A concern that remains unresolved should not disappear behind the phrase "team aligned."

Storage boundary

The public template belongs in ordinary Markdown. An organization's completed record may contain legal advice, security details, personal data, trade secrets, or investigation material. Those elements require the correct restricted system, access controls, privilege process, retention schedule, and records owner.

Outcome review

The review compares what happened with the original facts and assumptions. It records incidents, complaints, control failures, unexpected affected parties, business results, and the decision to continue, narrow, pause, or retire the feature.