Decision Records

Purpose

This page defines decision records in M45.

Decision records capture explicit human decisions made in response to inferred system intent. They are the mechanism by which authority, accountability, and traceability are established.

What a decision record is

A decision record is a first-class artifact that records:

  • A human judgment
  • About a specific intent element
  • At a specific point in time
  • With stated rationale and evidence

Decision records do not describe process.

They record meaning.

Why decision records exist

In most engineering environments:

  • Decisions are implicit
  • Rationale is lost
  • Changes overwrite context

M45 treats decisions as durable artifacts so that:

  • Intent does not silently change
  • Authority is explicit
  • Past interpretations remain inspectable

Decision lifecycle

A typical lifecycle is:

  1. System intent is inferred from artifacts
  2. An engineer reviews an intent element (example)
  3. A decision is made
  4. A decision record is created
  5. A new intent snapshot is created (snapshots are immutable and accumulate)
  6. Previous snapshots remain accessible

No decision overwrites another.

Decisions accumulate.

Decision types

Each decision record declares exactly one decision type.

Accept

The inferred intent element is correct as proposed.

Acceptance still requires a rationale, even if brief.

Modify

The inferred intent element is partially correct but requires adjustment.

A modification results in:

  • A new intent element
  • A link to the superseded element
  • An explicit rationale

Reject

The inferred intent element is unsupported or incorrect.

Rejection does not delete the element.

It records that the inference was examined and dismissed.

Defer

The decision is postponed.

Deferral records:

  • What information is missing
  • Why a decision cannot yet be made

Immutability and supersession

Decision records are immutable.

If a decision changes:

  • A new decision record is created
  • The prior record is referenced as superseded
  • Both remain accessible

This preserves interpretive history.

Relationship to intent snapshots

Decision records:

  • Reference a specific intent snapshot
  • Justify changes between snapshots
  • Explain why meaning evolved

Intent snapshots show what is believed.

Decision records explain why.

What decision records are not

Decision records are not:

  • Approval workflows
  • Certification sign-off
  • Change requests
  • Access control mechanisms

They capture semantic authority, not organizational process.

Reference

For the formal definition of fields and examples, see: