Team Collaboration & Change
Consensus Decision Log
Make a group decision on paper: arguments, concerns, objections and agreed next steps, in one record.
- Time: 20 to 40 min
- With: The group deciding, one scribe
- You get: A decision record you can find again in six months
How to use this worksheet
- State the decision as a question that can be answered yes or no.
- Collect arguments for and concerns separately. Concerns are not objections.
- Ask for principled objections: reasons the decision would harm the purpose. Resolve or amend the proposal until none remain.
- Pick the level of agreement and write the next steps with owners.
Write it as a proposal the group can accept or reject.
Prompts and example
Ask yourself
- What exactly changes if we say yes?
- By when does it have to be decided?
Example
We move to a fortnightly release cycle starting 1 January.
Why should we do this? What do we gain?
Prompts and example
Ask yourself
- Who benefits most?
- What happens if we do nothing?
Example
- Fewer emergency hotfixes - Support and marketing can plan around fixed dates - Less context switching for developers
What worries us? Concerns can be accepted or mitigated.
Prompts and example
Ask yourself
- What is the worst realistic outcome?
- Which risk can we reduce cheaply?
Example
- Small fixes wait up to two weeks - Release day becomes a single point of failure Mitigation: hotfix path stays open for severity 1 bugs
Reasons this would damage our purpose or values. A principled objection must be resolved before consensus.
Prompts and example
Ask yourself
- Is this a preference or a reason the proposal would cause harm?
- Can the proposal be amended so the objection disappears?
Example
Objection: contract with Client X promises fixes within 48 hours. Resolution: hotfix path remains for contractual severity levels.
Who does what by when? Include how and when you will review the decision.
Prompts and example
Ask yourself
- Who has to be told?
- When do we check whether it worked?
Example
- Update release process doc (Sam, 15 Nov) - Announce to support and sales (Priya, 20 Nov) - Review after two cycles (Priya, 28 Feb)
Before you finish
- The decision is phrased as a clear proposal.
- Every objection is either resolved or recorded with a reason.
- Each next step has an owner and a date.
- You know where this record will be stored and who can find it.
About consensus decisions
Consensus does not mean everyone loves the outcome. It means nobody has a principled objection and everyone can support the decision in practice.
The decision log matters later. Written reasons stop the same debate from restarting every quarter and help new colleagues understand why things are the way they are.
Recommended reading
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- Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-MakingSam Kaner
The standard reference for moving groups through divergence to genuine consensus.
- Getting to YesRoger Fisher & William Ury
Principled negotiation for reaching agreements everyone can support.