Decision Record – ADR-lite Template¶

Purpose: Capture important decisions, their context, and rationale in a lightweight, auditable format
Scope: Product, Architecture, Process, Security, Compliance, and Business decisions

• Table of contents
• Decision Record – ADR-lite Template
  • 1. Decision Identification
  • 2. Context & Background
  • 3. Decision Statement
  • 4. Options Considered (Brief)
  • 5. Rationale
  • 6. Implications & Impact
  • 7. Risks & Mitigations (If Any)
  • 8. Related References
  • 9. Review & Lifecycle
  • 10. Governance Rules
  • 11. Final Statement

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1. Decision Identification¶

Field	Value
Decision ID	DEC-YYYY-NN
Decision Title	Short, clear statement of the decision
Decision Type	Product / Architecture / Process / Security / Compliance / Business
Status	Proposed / Approved / Superseded / Deprecated
Decision Owner	Name / Role
Decision Date	YYYY-MM-DD

Guidelines:

• One decision per record
• Title should clearly state what was decided

Example:
bq. Use Redmine Sprint Versions only as execution containers.

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2. Context & Background¶

Describe the situation that led to this decision.

Include:

• The problem or need
• Constraints (time, compliance, scale, tooling)
• What triggered the decision

Avoid:

• Long history
• Implementation detail

This section answers: “Why did we have to decide this?”

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3. Decision Statement¶

State the decision clearly and unambiguously.

Rules:

• One decision only
• No alternatives listed here
• No justification yet

Example:
bq. Sprint history will be preserved using custom fields, not Sprint Versions.

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4. Options Considered (Brief)¶

List the main alternatives that were considered.

Option	Summary	Rejected Because
Option A	Short description	Reason
Option B	Short description	Reason

Guidelines:

• Keep it brief
• Only meaningful options
• This section prevents hindsight bias

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5. Rationale¶

Explain why the chosen option was selected.

Include:

• Trade-offs
• Benefits gained
• Risks accepted

This section answers: “Why this, and not something else?”

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6. Implications & Impact¶

Describe the consequences of this decision.

Examples:

• Process changes
• Tooling impact
• Training required
• Compliance or audit implications
• Long-term constraints introduced

Be honest — decisions always have downsides.

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7. Risks & Mitigations (If Any)¶

If the decision introduces risk, document it.

Risk	Mitigation
Description	Short mitigation approach

If risks are significant, link to a Risk Register entry.

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8. Related References¶

Link to relevant material for traceability.

Examples:

• Process pages
• Sprint or release records
• Risk Register entries
• Compliance documents
• Related decisions

Use Redmine links where possible.

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9. Review & Lifecycle¶

Field	Value
Review Required	Yes / No
Review Trigger	Date / Event
Superseded By	Decision ID (if applicable)

Rules:

• Decisions are not deleted
• Superseded decisions remain for history
• New decisions must reference old ones

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10. Governance Rules¶

• Use ADR-lite only for significant decisions
• Do not use this for day-to-day choices
• Do not rewrite past decisions
• If a decision changes, create a new record

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11. Final Statement¶

bq. Decisions that are not recorded will be questioned later.

This template exists to preserve context, protect intent,
and support clarity as Tinggit grows.