Guide · Running projects
Record every client decision in one log per project: the date, the decision in one sentence, who decided, the options considered, any fee or schedule effect, and a link to the email or minutes.
Confirm each decision to the client in writing the same day. Never edit an old entry; add a new one that says which decision it replaces.
At the start of the project, write down who on the client side can approve changes. Log their name with every decision.
One row per decision, whether it came from a meeting, a call, an email or a site visit.
One line on the options considered, and whether it changes fee, scope or schedule. If it does, it may be an additional service that needs written approval.
Send the confirmation email the same day and link it in the log.
If a decision is reversed, add a new row that names the decision it replaces. The log keeps its history.
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Fill in the decision. It writes the log row and the confirmation email, with the additional-services line added when there is a fee or schedule effect.
Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent, saved or uploaded. Replace the values with yours.
"We never agreed to that" usually comes months after the meeting where it was agreed. Minutes, emails and call notes all hold pieces of the answer. A decision log pulls only the decisions into one list, each with a date, a name and a link, so the answer takes a minute to find.
Tasks are not decisions. "Luis will ask for the survey" belongs in the Tasks sheet. "The client approved moving to the next phase" belongs here.
Three entries on one project. The third replaces the first:
| Number | Date | Decision | Decided by | Replaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-001 | 2026-10-02 | Submit the planning application before tender | Client | |
| D-002 | 2026-10-16 | Add a site survey as an additional service | Client, in writing | |
| D-003 | 2026-11-04 | Tender before the planning application | Client | D-001 |
D-001 is never edited. D-003 says it replaces it, so anyone reading the log sees both the decision and when it changed.
When a decision adds work, the log is not enough on its own. AIA Contract Documents advises understanding who on the client side can authorize changes, presenting the change, the options, the costs and the schedule effect to that person, and getting approval before you proceed with additional services. The AIA's G801 Notice of Additional Services is one standard form for it. Log the decision, link the signed form or email, and start the work after the approval, not before. The client follow-up emails include templates for scope questions.
The person who writes meeting notes adds decisions the same day. The weekly status email can include a line for decisions made that week, which gives the client a second chance to correct a misunderstanding early.
On a site visit, the client agrees to add a measured survey of the neighbouring wall. That changes the fee. The project lead logs it the same afternoon as D-002, with the client's name in "Decided by" and "additional service, fee to be confirmed" in the effect column. The confirmation email goes out that day, with a note that the survey starts once the client approves the fee in writing. When the approval arrives, its link goes in the row. Months later, when the invoice is queried, the row, the email and the approval are one click apart.
One email per decision, and the columns for the log it is recorded in.
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When: Same day as the decision
Subject: [Project name]: confirming decision [D-number]
Hi [Client first name], To confirm what we agreed on [date]: Decision: [decision in one sentence] Options considered: [options] Effect on fee or schedule: [none / describe; additional services need your written approval before we start them] If this is not what you understood, reply by [date] and we will correct it before we act on it. Best, [Your name]
When: Paste as the first row of a new sheet
Number Date Decision Decided by Options considered Fee/schedule effect Replaces Link
Minutes record everything said. The log records only what was decided, so you can find a decision in seconds without rereading every meeting.
Treat it as a possible additional service. AIA Contract Documents advises getting approval before you proceed with additional services if you want to be paid for them. Log it, and get the written approval before doing the work.
The project lead, or whoever writes the meeting notes. One owner per project keeps it complete.
They can. Some firms share a read-only copy, or list the week's decisions in the weekly status email. Either way, the confirmation email for each decision is what the client receives, and the log is where the firm finds it again.
No. It records that a decision was made and links the formal document. Where your contract calls for a specific form, use it, and put its link in the log row.
Archon & Partners