Common Decision Writing Mistakes

Mistake #1: The Topic, Not the Decision

You write "Pricing" or "Vendor selection" and call it a decision. It's not. It's a topic. Topics invite discussion. Decisions close discussion.

✗ Pricing

✓ Choose pricing model for Q2 launch ($29 Starter / $79 Pro)

✗ New hire

✓ Approve offer for Senior Engineer at Band 4

If someone could read it and still ask "wait, what are we actually deciding?" — it's a topic.

Mistake #2: The Shared Owner

"Marketing and Product will own this." No they won't. When two people own something, neither does. Each assumes the other is handling it. Nothing moves.

✗ Owner: Marketing team

✓ Owner: Sarah Chen

One person. They don't have to do all the work, but they're on the hook for the outcome.

Mistake #3: The Missing Deadline

"We should decide on this soon." Soon is not a deadline. Soon is a suggestion. Without a date, decisions sit in limbo until someone finally asks about them three weeks later.

✗ Due: ASAP

✓ Due: Friday, Dec 6, 5pm ET

Most decisions don't need a week. Set it tighter than feels comfortable.

Mistake #4: The Bundle

Three decisions crammed into one. "Choose vendor, set budget, and confirm timeline for Q1 migration." Now you have one owner trying to track three outcomes, and no way to close any of them independently.

✗ Choose vendor, set budget, and confirm timeline for migration

✓ Three separate decisions:

• Choose vendor for billing migration

• Set budget ceiling for migration ($20k max)

• Confirm migration timeline (complete by March 1)

One decision per line. Each gets its own owner and deadline.

Mistake #5: The Soft Verb

"Discuss roadmap priorities." "Think about launch timing." "Consider vendor options."

Those aren't decisions. Those are invitations to keep talking. Use verbs that demand a result.

✗ Discuss Q2 roadmap

✓ Prioritize top 3 features for Q2

✗ Think about new office

✓ Choose office location: Austin vs Denver

If the verb doesn't force a resolution, pick a stronger one.

Mistake #6: The Novel

The context field isn't for meeting notes. It's not a place to dump the entire Slack thread. 1–3 lines. Just enough so someone reading it cold understands the stakes.

✗ Context: So we had this meeting last Tuesday where Jake brought up that the current system isn't working and Maria agreed but also said we should consider the budget implications and then...

✓ Context: Current system hits capacity in March. Two vendors quoted. Need decision before contract renewal on the 15th.

If you're writing a paragraph, you're over-explaining.

Mistake #7: The Re-Decision

The decision was made. Then someone asks about it in a meeting. Instead of pointing to the record, the team re-litigates. An hour later, they've made the same decision — or worse, a different one.

This is a process problem, not a writing problem. But writing helps: when the decision is clear, specific, and documented, you point to it. "We decided this on October 3. Here's the link."

If your decisions keep getting re-opened, they weren't specific enough to begin with.

The Quick Test

Before you submit, ask:

1. Is this a decision or a topic?

2. Is there one owner, not two?

3. Is there a real deadline, not "soon"?

4. Is this one decision, not three bundled together?

5. Does the verb demand action?

6. Is the context brief?

If any answer is no, fix it before you hit Create.