Published by LANDOVA Design & Planning. October 16, 2026.
A design meeting can end with everyone feeling aligned, followed by different memories of what was actually decided. One person remembers a location. Another remembers a condition attached to that location. A third is looking at a drawing from the previous review.
A short decision record helps keep those details together. Its purpose is to describe a preconstruction design choice and the information behind it. It is not a construction change order, contract amendment or substitute for the approval procedures that apply to your project.
Start with the exact choice
Write a sentence naming what changed or what was selected. “Prefer the reading seat along the garden-facing edge shown in layout revision three” is more useful than “seating approved.” The first statement identifies the feature, location and drawing. The second leaves almost everything to interpretation.
Keep one main decision per entry. If a conversation changes the seating location, the table model and the future-phase boundary, create separate entries. They may have different dependencies and need different follow-up.
Record the date and the people involved in the discussion. Do not name someone as an approver if they have not actually given the approval the project requires.
Preserve the reason for the decision
Add a short explanation of the goal the choice supports. This is not an essay or a defense of your taste. It is a reminder of what the household was trying to achieve.
For example: “We prefer this position because we want the reading area visible from the family room.” That reason helps evaluate later alternatives. If a future revision changes the view, the team can see which original priority needs another discussion.
Also record an accepted compromise where it matters. A choice may improve one view while making another area more enclosed. Naming the tradeoff preserves the decision more honestly than listing only its benefits.
Identify the evidence and its limits
Link the drawing, image, product information or other material reviewed. Use the issuer’s revision or document reference. If you discussed a screenshot, identify the underlying drawing where possible; a cropped image may leave out important context.
Describe the status of supporting information. A household preference, a measured condition and a professional verification are not interchangeable. If a product has not been selected, do not turn an illustrative item in the rendering into a final specification.
The note should make it easy to distinguish “we like this option” from “the relevant professional has confirmed this aspect.” Only record the latter when you have that confirmation.
Keep open conditions beside the choice
An unresolved question belongs in the same entry as the decision it affects. State the question, the person being asked and the next action. Avoid vague phrases such as “subject to everything working” or “check later.”
If the household prefers a location but a fit question remains, say so. Do not use a broad approved label that could conceal the condition. Ask which subsequent decisions should wait for the answer and which can proceed independently.
When the answer arrives, add a dated update or link the revised record. Preserve the original note so the sequence remains understandable.
Read a fictional example
A fictional household reviews a proposal for a garden reading seat. Its decision note says: “Preferred location: garden-facing edge in layout r03. Reason: retain a view of the seat from the family room. Open question: review the selected chair’s actual dimensions and intended walking route. Next action: household sends product information for design review.”
This note does not claim that the arrangement has been technically approved or authorize construction. It records a preference and the missing information needed for the next conversation.
When the fit review is complete, the household can record the resulting choice against the appropriate revision. If the seat moves again, the history explains why instead of leaving two contradictory instructions in circulation.
Copy this design-decision record
- Decision and date: ______
- Household goal and reason: ______
- Drawing or product reference and revision: ______
- Status: preference / approved within stated scope / open pending information.
- Accepted tradeoff: ______
- Open condition, responsible person and next review: ______
- Who received and acknowledged the record: ______
Use the project’s agreed approval process. This personal record does not replace a construction change order.
Use the note at the next review
Begin the next conversation by checking unresolved conditions and confirming which recorded decisions still apply. If someone proposes a change, name the affected entry and discuss the consequences before marking a new choice current.
Share the record through the process agreed for the project. A personal note may help your memory, but it should not be treated as evidence that someone else received or accepted an instruction. Ask for the appropriate acknowledgment where needed.
Keep the record concise enough to maintain: choice, reason, reviewed version, status, open question and next action. That small habit gives the design conversation a reliable reference without turning every preference into paperwork. Bring your goals and questions to LANDOVA Design & Planning. Start Your Design.
