Heuristics
Acknowledge Downsides and Dissent in Decisions
How can we document a decision while acknowledging disagreement or known trade-offs?
Use phrases like ”adopted despite” to list the known downsides of the chosen option. This formally acknowledges dissenting viewpoints and trade-offs directly within the decision record. It helps people feeling more heard and provides a more complete picture of the decision.
Example
When recording a decision, you can state that an option was “adopted despite” a known downside. This makes team members who raised that concern possibly feel more acknowledged in the body of the document.
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