01
Frame the decision boundary
Reduce the situation to one answerable question, then separate hard constraints from preferences and facts from unknowns.
Made for Engineers
One-Page Technical Decision Note
Also useful for: people in Software Engineering
25 min
Intermediate
Decisions
Communicate Better
Need to Compare Options
Document a technical decision in one page without losing the constraints, unknowns, or tradeoffs that shaped it.
We'll use them to write your prompt.
Completed ✓
Make Your Play
Give us the situation. We’ll build the prompt.
Make a technical choice reviewable without forcing teammates to reconstruct the reasoning from tickets, chats, and meetings.
Your answers save as you type.
What you'll do
This is the plan inside your prompt. Add your details first. Then follow these steps with ChatGPT or Claude.
02
Compare options and set the direction
Test every option against the same criteria and decide whether the evidence supports a choice or requires a focused investigation.
03
Compile and pressure-test the note
Compress the reasoning into a one-page record and check that another engineer can challenge or act on it without extra context.
Make Your Play
One-Page Technical Decision Note
Tell us what the prompt needs to know
Start with the questions below. Each answer personalizes the playbook and builds the prompt you’ll use at the end.
Your situation
State the single technical question the note must answer.
Describe the current behavior, who or what it affects, and why a decision is needed now.
0/10000
List the limits and non-negotiables that could rule out an option.
0/10000
List each realistic option and any known strengths or drawbacks.
0/10000
Separate confirmed evidence from unanswered questions that could change the decision.
0/10000
State the option currently favored and the main reason, or say that no option leads yet.
Select whether the note should record a choice or define the next investigation.
This playbook was updated. Review your inputs before copying.
What you'll do
Check a step when you finish it.
01
Frame the decision boundary
Reduce the situation to one answerable question, then separate hard constraints from preferences and facts from unknowns.
02
Compare options and set the direction
Test every option against the same criteria and decide whether the evidence supports a choice or requires a focused investigation.
03
Compile and pressure-test the note
Compress the reasoning into a one-page record and check that another engineer can challenge or act on it without extra context.
Fill in the fields above to generate your prompt preview.
Assembled prompt
Beginner instructions
Start with the decision question, not the solution. List only constraints that would actually rule out or change an option. If an unknown could reverse the choice, include it even if the answer is uncomfortable.
Advanced instructions
Add measurable decision thresholds where possible. Separate reversible choices from commitments that would be expensive to undo. Replace broad follow-ups with telemetry, load tests, rollout gates, or review dates tied to clear triggers.
Use this when
You need to choose between technical options, explain an implementation direction, or record why an investigation should happen before work starts.
You'll need
- Decision question
- Problem context
- Constraints
- Options
- Evidence and unknowns
- Current leaning
- Decision status
You'll get
- A decision question narrow enough to answer
- Every viable option compared against the same constraints
- Facts separated from assumptions and unknowns
- A selected direction or a bounded investigation
- Decision-reversal conditions recorded
- Follow-up checks with owners, triggers, and success signals
By the end of this playbook
You will have:
- A decision question narrow enough to answer
- Every viable option compared against the same constraints
- Facts separated from assumptions and unknowns
- A selected direction or a bounded investigation
- Decision-reversal conditions recorded
- Follow-up checks with owners, triggers, and success signals
Examples
Progress 1 of 3