Execution changes because decisions happen. The decisions & learning log is how In Parallel preserves the “why” behind change—so you don’t have to reconstruct context from memory, slide decks, or chat threads months later.
In this article
What the decisions & learning log is
What counts as a decision
What each decision record includes
How decisions connect to plans and snapshots
Best practices (and common pitfalls)
What the decisions & learning log is
In Parallel records key decisions as durable execution memory. Each decision captures:
what was decided
why
by whom
what changed as a result
Decisions are linked back to the meeting, the scope, and the snapshots that resulted—so changes stay explainable over time.
This is one of the core reasons In Parallel can maintain a trustworthy execution plan: it doesn’t just show what’s current; it preserves why it became current.
What counts as a decision?
A decision is anything that changes execution reality. Examples:
reprioritizing work (“A is now above B”)
committing to a deadline or scope (“we will ship by X”)
changing ownership (“this moves to team Y”)
accepting a risk (“we’ll ship despite…”) or changing risk posture
stopping or pausing work (“we’re no longer investing in…”)
Not every conversational conclusion needs to be a decision record. The log is meant to be high signal:
fewer entries, but each one matters
clear tradeoffs, not just observations
Tip: If you can imagine someone asking “why did we do this?” later, it’s a decision worth capturing.
What a decision record includes
In Parallel’s decision records are designed to be useful in real work—not just ceremonial.
Each decision should make it easy to answer:
What exactly did we decide?
What was the reason or context?
Who was involved / accountable?
What changed in the plan because of this?
This aligns directly with the product description’s decision record structure: what, why, by whom, and what changed.
How decisions connect to the execution plan and snapshots
The execution plan shows what’s current: goals/commitments, ranked priorities, tasks/milestones, risks/dependencies, ownership, and recent changes.
Decisions are how the plan stays explainable:
decisions provide the “why”
snapshots show “what changed”
the plan shows “where we are now”
Practical example
Decision: “Delay launch by 2 weeks due to integration risk.”
What changed: priority status shifts, milestone dates adjust, risk escalates.
Snapshot: captures those changes in a reviewable moment.
Future stakeholder question: answered with a link to the decision + snapshot, not a rewrite.
This is the mechanism that prevents re-litigating decisions and losing context during transitions.
How decisions get captured
Decisions commonly appear through the meeting loop:
meetings produce signals
after the meeting, a report is published
decisions are confirmed and then become part of durable history
The key is confirmation: meaningful execution truth should be reviewed so the record matches intent and context.
Best practices
Make decisions explicit when they happen
You don’t need a script, but a clear phrase helps:
“Decision: we will…”
“We’re choosing A over B.”
“This is now owned by…”
This improves alignment in the room and reduces later ambiguity.
Capture tradeoffs, not just outcomes
A decision record is most useful when it captures the reasoning at the level people will care about later:
“because we learned X”
“because risk Y is unacceptable”
“because customer Z requires…”
Use decision links in stakeholder communication
When execution changes materially, don’t rewrite the story. Link:
the snapshot (what changed)
the decision (why it changed)
That preserves trust and prevents status churn.
Common pitfalls (and fixes)
Pitfall: Capturing everything as a decision
Symptom:
the log becomes noisy
important decisions are hard to find
Fix:
capture only decisions that materially change execution reality
Pitfall: Decisions without “what changed”
Symptom:
the decision exists but doesn’t explain the plan evolution
Fix:
ensure decisions link to the plan update/snapshot they caused
Pitfall: “Decisions” that are actually observations
Symptom:
entries read like notes (“We discussed…”)
Fix:
rewrite as an explicit choice or move it to meeting summary context instead.
Related articles
What are snapshots?
After the meeting: report → review → confirm
Stakeholder reporting (without decks)
Understand the living execution plan