Made for Architects
Document a Client Decision Without Leaving Cost or Scope Ambiguous
Also useful for: people in Creative
35 min
Intermediate
Creative
Architect
Communicate Better
Career outcome:
Avoid Professional Risk
Create a client-ready decision record that confirms what your client approved, what it changes, what remains unresolved, and when later changes may affect your services or schedule.
Create a free account to save your progress and use this Playbook.
Use this when
You use this after your client selects a design direction, accepts a tradeoff, declines your recommendation, or asks you to proceed before every cost, schedule, or coordination question is settled.
You'll need
- Project and decision reference
- Decision status
- Decision or direction
- Options considered
- Your recommendation
- Cost and schedule effects
- Schedule effects
- Scope and dependencies
- Follow-up actions
- Change-impact date
- Supporting context
You'll get
- One dated decision record that identifies the approved direction, options considered, your recommendation, known cost and schedule effects, scope boundaries, unresolved dependencies, action owners, response deadline, and change-impact date
- The facts verified
- Unsupported commitments removed
- Relevant agreement language checked
- The client confirmation with the project record saved
By the end of this playbook
You will have:
- One dated decision record that identifies the approved direction, options considered, your recommendation, known cost and schedule effects, scope boundaries, unresolved dependencies, action owners, response deadline, and change-impact date
- The facts verified
- Unsupported commitments removed
- Relevant agreement language checked
- The client confirmation with the project record saved
Sample
This is sample data, not your prompt. Pro unlocks this higher-stakes Playbook. On Free Playbooks you can still copy the assembled prompt into any AI.
Sample input
You provide: Your client verbally selected the acoustic wood-slat ceiling for the Westside Clinic waiting room on September 17, 2026. You considered painted gypsum board, acoustic tile, and wood-slat panels. You recommend wood slats for acoustic performance and alignment with the approved interior concept. Your cost consultant estimates a $38,000 to $52,000 construction premium, but your electrical consultant's redesign fee remains unknown. Your supplier reports a 10- to 12-week lead time. You need written confirmation by September 25 to protect the current permit issue date. Your lighting coordination and structural support requirements remain open.
Sample assembled prompt
You receive: Decision Record DR-006: Waiting... You considered three options: painted gypsum... You selected the wood-slat option based... Your design team recommends this direction... Your current cost estimate indicates a... This range is an estimate, not... Your electrical consultant's redesign fee and... Your supplier currently reports a 10-... You are asked to confirm this... If you change direction after September... Your open actions are: you confirm...