---
title: "Prioritise Documenting Impact Over Process Consistency"
source: "https://virtualddd.com/heuristics/prioritise-documenting-impact-over-process-consistency/"
authors: ["Peter Hunter", "Elena Stojmilova", "Kenny Schwegler", "Andrea Magnorsky"]
tags: ["adr", "decentralised decision-making", "facilitating software architecture and design", "team agency"]
type: "guiding heuristics"
question: "How should you handle varying levels of adoption for decision recording across teams?"
submitter: "Peter Hunter"
---

# Prioritise Documenting Impact Over Process Consistency

Instead of enforcing strict consistency in how often teams write decision records, focus on the outcome. The critical measure is whether impactful decisions are documented before they cause unforeseen problems. Allow teams to find their own rhythm as long as this core principle is met.

## Example

Rather than forcing all teams to write ADRs with the same frequency, the goal was to ensure no undocumented decisions caused problems later. This allowed each team to find their own balance.