TemplatesDecide

Write up a decision in one minute

Turn your notes from a discussion into a short decision record a person can read in about a minute, with what was decided, why, what was ruled out and why, who decided, and when to look at it again.

Sample results: runs and scores on this page are illustrations while testing is set up. How we test

  • Who it is for: Anyone who keeps the record for a team, such as a coordinator, an assistant, a project lead or a board secretary.
  • Time: 10 minutes

Download it, in the format you use

  • Prompt chain

    Copy each step into ChatGPT or Claude, one after another.

  • Checklist

    Follow the steps and check off the checks by hand.

  • Claude skill

    A folder Claude loads, so it follows the steps by itself.

  • n8n file

    Import into n8n and connect your own AI account.

Open in the Editor

Using a download:How to use this in n8nHow to install a Claude skill

How it runs

Select a part to see its prompt, input, output and check.

The same job, with and without the template

Sample

One plain prompt

Write up this decision as a short record for our files. (The same question and notes are pasted below.)

Decision Record: Annual Report Printing

Date: October 2 Attendees: Ana (director), Tomás (finance), Keiko (communications)

Background The team met to decide how to print the annual report ahead of the launch on October 15. Three options were discussed in detail, and the group weighed cost, delivery time and print quality.

Decision The team has decided to print the annual report with Brightline Print for 1,240 dollars. After careful discussion, the group agreed that Brightline offered the best balance of quality, reliability and value.

Rationale Brightline is a trusted local printer with a strong reputation, and its 6 working day turnaround meets the launch deadline. Although it costs 260 dollars more than Corner Copy, the extra cost is justified by the guaranteed delivery. The price also fits within the printing budget of 1,300 dollars.

Alternatives considered Corner Copy was cheaper at 980 dollars but could not guarantee delivery. Printing in-house was also considered but was not recommended.

Next steps Keiko will place the order by October 5. The team will review printer options again next year.

Approved by: Ana, Director

Problem:It runs well past a minute's reading, makes up reasons the notes never gave (a trusted printer with a strong reputation), adds a 260 dollar gap nobody stated, and drops why printing in-house was ruled out.

With this template

The same input, run through the steps.

Decision

Print the annual report with Brightline Print, 500 copies for 1,240 dollars, with Keiko placing the order by October 5. Decided by: Ana, the director, on October 2.

Why

Ana said Brightline Print is the only option that fits both the budget and the launch date. The printing line in the budget is 1,300 dollars, and the report launch on October 15 cannot move because the board chair is coming.

Ruled out

  • Corner Copy: it quoted 980 dollars but could not promise delivery before October 16, and the launch is on October 15.
  • Printing in-house: about 400 dollars in paper and toner, but it would tie up the office printer for three days and the copies would be stapled, not bound.

Look again when

Next year, if the launch is later in the year (Tomás suggested looking at Corner Copy again).

Not in the notes

  • None found.

Ask the person who decided to confirm this before you file it.

  • Check:Every outcome is chosen, ruled out or not clear: Three rows, each Outcome one of the three allowed words: 1 chosen and 2 ruled out.
  • Check:Every quote is word for word from the notes: Four rows; every quote is found word for word in the notes.
  • Check:The record is 170 words or fewer: The record is 168 words, under the 170 word limit.
  • Check:Every number in the record is in the notes: Every number in the record (500, 1,240, 5, 2, 1,300, 15, 980, 16 and 400) is in the notes.
  • Check:The record ends with the reminder to confirm it: The closing line is there: Ask the person who decided to confirm this before you file it.
  • Check:Every option that was ruled out is in the record with its reason: Both ruled-out options, Corner Copy and printing in-house, are in the record with the reasons the options table gives.
  • Check:Every reason is one the notes give: Each reason is one the notes give: Ana's words, the budget line, the launch date, the quote and delivery date, and the printer and stapling.
  • For your read:The person who decided agrees with the record: Will you show the record to Ana and ask whether it says what she decided and why?

Runs and scores

Sample

Claude, Sonnet model

October 4, 2026, easy sample

  • Check:Every outcome is chosen, ruled out or not clear

    Two rows, each Outcome one of the three allowed words: 1 chosen and 1 ruled out.

  • Check:Every quote is word for word from the notes

    Four rows; every quote is found word for word in the notes.

  • Check:The record is 170 words or fewer

    The record is 112 words, under the 170 word limit.

  • Check:Every number in the record is in the notes

    Every number in the record (9, 23 and 14) is in the notes.

  • Check:The record ends with the reminder to confirm it

    The closing line is there: Ask the person who decided to confirm this before you file it.

  • Check:Every option that was ruled out is in the record with its reason

    The one ruled-out option, keeping Monday, is in the record with the reason the options table gives.

  • Check:Every reason is one the notes give

    Each reason is one the notes give: the delivery clash, the three people who miss it and the clash-free Wednesday.

  • For your read:The person who decided agrees with the record

    Will you show the record to Sam and ask whether it says what he decided and why?

Fixed: Nothing needed fixing: every check passed on the first pass.

Met 8 of 8

1 of these is for your read: the tool hands it to you.

ChatGPT, GPT model

October 5, 2026, tricky sample

  • Check:Every outcome is chosen, ruled out or not clear

    Three rows, each Outcome one of the three allowed words: 1 chosen, 1 ruled out and 1 not clear (online).

  • First pass failed:Every quote is word for word from the notes

    The first version quoted "Jo decided on the hall" for Decided by, and that sentence is not in the notes.

  • Check:The record is 170 words or fewer

    The record is 150 words, under the 170 word limit.

  • Check:Every number in the record is in the notes

    Every number in the record (150, 60, 34 and 20) is in the notes.

  • Check:The record ends with the reminder to confirm it

    The closing line is there: Ask the person who decided to confirm this before you file it.

  • Check:Every option that was ruled out is in the record with its reason

    The ruled-out library is in the record with its reason, and the online option, marked not clear, is listed under Not in the notes.

  • Failed:Every reason is one the notes give

    The Why line said the hall gives more room for the hands-on part, a reason the notes do not give.

  • For your read:The person who decided agrees with the record

    Nobody said who decided, so will you ask Jo and Lee who they think made the call before you file the record?

Fixed: The facts step ran again once and wrote Not stated with None found for Decided by, so every quote was then in the notes. The record step ran again once and the Why line still said the hall gives more room for the hands-on part, so the check failed again and the run stopped there and flagged it for you.

Met 7 of 8

  • Not met:Every reason is one the notes give: The Why line still says the hall gives more room for the hands-on part, which the notes do not say.

1 of these is for your read: the tool hands it to you.

n8n, import format 2.20

October 6, 2026, typical sample

  • Check:Every outcome is chosen, ruled out or not clear

    Three rows, each Outcome one of the three allowed words: 1 chosen and 2 ruled out.

  • Check:Every quote is word for word from the notes

    Four rows; every quote is found word for word in the notes.

  • Check:The record is 170 words or fewer

    The record is 168 words, under the 170 word limit.

  • First pass failed:Every number in the record is in the notes

    The first version said Brightline Print costs 260 dollars more than Corner Copy, and 260 is not in the notes.

  • Check:The record ends with the reminder to confirm it

    The closing line is there: Ask the person who decided to confirm this before you file it.

  • Check:Every option that was ruled out is in the record with its reason

    Both ruled-out options, Corner Copy and printing in-house, are in the record with the reasons the options table gives.

  • Check:Every reason is one the notes give

    Each reason is one the notes give: Ana's words, the budget line, the launch date, the quote and delivery date, and the printer and stapling.

  • For your read:The person who decided agrees with the record

    Will you show the record to Ana and ask whether it says what she decided and why?

Fixed: The record step ran again once with the rule not to add a total, and the 260 dollar gap was left out; every number in the record was then in the notes.

Met 8 of 8

1 of these is for your read: the tool hands it to you.

The steps, and the check on each

  1. Step 1: List every option and how it came out

    Write down each option the notes mention, whether it was chosen or ruled out, and the reason the notes give.

    Hands back: A table of every option, with an outcome and the reason the notes give.

    Check:Every outcome is chosen, ruled out or not clear

    A plain rule. If it fails, run the step again (the n8n file does this for you).

  2. Step 2: Pull out who decided, when, why and when to look again

    Find the four facts a record needs, each quoted from the notes, with a gap marked as a gap.

    Hands back: A four-row table of the facts a decision record needs, each quoted or marked Not stated.

    Check:Every quote is word for word from the notes

    A plain rule. If it fails, run the step again (the n8n file does this for you).

  3. Step 3: Write the one-minute record

    Put the decision, the reason, what was ruled out, when to look again and the gaps into a record short enough to read in a minute.

    Hands back: A decision record of 170 words or fewer that reads in about a minute.

    Check:The record is 170 words or fewer

    A plain rule. If it fails, run the step again (the n8n file does this for you).

After the last step

  • Check:Every number in the record is in the notes

    A plain rule. If it fails, run the step again (the n8n file does this for you).

  • Check:The record ends with the reminder to confirm it

    A plain rule. If it fails, run the step again (the n8n file does this for you).

  • Check:Every option that was ruled out is in the record with its reason

    A second look by the AI. If it fails, run the step again (the n8n file does this for you).

  • Check:Every reason is one the notes give

    A second look by the AI. If it fails, run the step again (the n8n file does this for you).

  • Check:The person who decided agrees with the record

    You check this one. If it fails, it is flagged for you.

What you need first

  • The question that was settled(needed)

    One line on what the group had to decide.

  • Notes from the discussion(needed)

    Paste your notes in any order. Include the options that came up, what people said about them, who decided and anything said about looking at it again.

Ways to adapt it

  • The record is held to 170 words so it reads in about a minute. To change the length, change 170 in the last step's rules and in its check, both.
  • The template never fills a gap. If the notes do not say who decided, when, or when to look again, the record says so under "Not in the notes", which is a prompt for you to ask.
  • Paste the notes as you have them. If you only remember the decision, write down the options and the reasons first, because the record is only as good as the notes.
  • A figure that is only in the question line is not in the notes, so the number check will not accept it in the record. Repeat the figure in your notes if you want it used.
  • For a decision that is still open, do not use this template. List the options and compare them first.

Change any step or check in the Editor, then download it again.

Try it with a sampleSample

Notes on a choice between three printers, with a budget line, a launch date that cannot move, one person who decided and a suggestion to look again next year.

The question that was settled
Which printer to use for the annual report
Notes from the discussion
Printing the annual report. Meeting on October 2 with Ana (director), Tomás (finance) and Keiko (communications). Three options came up. Brightline Print quoted 1,240 dollars for 500 copies, delivered in 6 working days. Corner Copy quoted 980 dollars for 500 copies but could not promise delivery before October 16, and the report launch is on October 15. Printing in-house would cost about 400 dollars in paper and toner, but it would tie up the office printer for three days and the copies would be stapled, not bound. Tomás said the printing line in the budget is 1,300 dollars. Keiko said the launch date cannot move because the board chair is coming. Ana said Brightline Print is the only option that fits both the budget and the launch date, and decided to go with it. She asked Keiko to place the order by October 5. Tomás suggested looking at Corner Copy again next year if the launch is later in the year.

The scoring guide

Sample

One criterion for each check, marked met or not met. (The guides in Quality rate a whole piece of work on three levels.) Under each one is how the three sample runs scored.

Download the scoring guide (Markdown)

  • Every outcome is chosen, ruled out or not clear

    A plain rule

    Meets:Every row says exactly chosen, ruled out or not clear in the Outcome column.
    Does not meet:A row has another word, such as rejected or maybe.
    Claude:Met
    ChatGPT:Met
    n8n:Met

  • Every quote is word for word from the notes

    A plain rule

    Meets:Every quote in the table is found word for word in the notes, or is None found beside a value of Not stated.
    Does not meet:A quote has been reworded, or is not found word for word in the notes.
    Claude:Met
    ChatGPT:Met
    n8n:Met

  • The record is 170 words or fewer

    A plain rule

    Meets:The record is 170 words or fewer.
    Does not meet:The record is longer than 170 words.
    Claude:Met
    ChatGPT:Met
    n8n:Met

  • Every number in the record is in the notes

    A plain rule

    Meets:Every number in the record is also in the notes.
    Does not meet:A number is in the record that the notes do not give, such as a total or a difference.
    Claude:Met
    ChatGPT:Met
    n8n:Met

  • The record ends with the reminder to confirm it

    A plain rule

    Meets:The record ends with the line Ask the person who decided to confirm this before you file it.
    Does not meet:The line is missing or reworded.
    Claude:Met
    ChatGPT:Met
    n8n:Met

  • Every option that was ruled out is in the record with its reason

    A second look by the AI

    Meets:Every option marked ruled out is in the record with its reason, and every option marked not clear is listed under Not in the notes.
    Does not meet:An option is missing from the record, or its reason has changed.
    Claude:Met
    ChatGPT:Met
    n8n:Met

  • Every reason is one the notes give

    A second look by the AI

    Meets:Every reason, and who decided and when, is one the notes give.
    Does not meet:A line gives a reason, a decider or a date the notes do not give.
    Claude:Met
    ChatGPT:Not met
    n8n:Met

  • The person who decided agrees with the record

    You check this one

    Meets:You showed the record to the person who decided and changed any line they disputed.
    Does not meet:The record is filed without the person who decided reading it, or a disputed line is left in.
    Claude:For your read
    ChatGPT:For your read
    n8n:For your read

Claude: met 8 of 8 (including 1 for your read)

ChatGPT: met 7 of 8 (including 1 for your read)

n8n: met 8 of 8 (including 1 for your read)

Learn how it works:StepsAdapting a template

Practice:Check it yourselfWatch a check run

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Review

Review

Last run
October 6, 2026: n8n, import format 2.20 (sample run)
Tools and versions
Claude, Sonnet model; ChatGPT, GPT model; n8n, import format 2.20
What was checked
The files, against each tool’s import format, and 3 sample runs, each check’s finding recorded.
Version
1.0
What changed
First release.

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