Heuristics
Treat Decisions as Immutable Historical Records
How should we manage the evolution of a decision over time, especially when it is reversed?
Document each decision as a distinct, immutable record, such as an Architectural Decision Record (ADR). A subsequent choice that alters a previous one should be a new, separate record that explicitly supersedes the original. This maintains a clear historical log and prevents the paralysis that comes from endlessly reopening past choices.
Example(s)
An engineer makes a decision during an incident and documents it in an ADR. When this is later reversed, a new ADR is created to supersede the first one, rather than editing or deleting the original record.
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