The one-page decision memo
The template we use in The decision memo: the ask, the options, the pick, the risk and the deadline, on one page.
Ruth Calloway
7 min read
A decision memo has one job: get a yes or a no from someone busy. It does not need to show all your work. It needs to make the choice easy.
Our template has five parts. The ask, in one sentence. Two or three options, one line each. Your pick and the main reason. The biggest risk and what you will do about it. The date you need an answer by.
If the memo runs past one page, the extra material goes in an appendix. The reader should be able to decide without opening it.
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