CEO Executive Assistant
A decision log sounds like a good idea until the third week. By then the log has forty rows, half of them are duplicate descriptions of the same meeting, and nobody remembers which version is current. The chief of staff stops updating it, and the next important question is answered from memory.
A maintainable decision log is smaller than most templates suggest. It records only the decisions that someone may need to revisit, and it captures them in a form that takes less than a minute to write. The goal is not a complete history of management. It is a reliable answer to the question: what did we decide, who decided it, and what happens next?
Record the decision, not the discussion
A decision log entry should state the choice in one sentence. “Approve the vendor change subject to a security review” is a decision. “Discussed vendor options” is a topic. If the entry does not contain a choice, it is not a decision and does not belong in the log.
The discussion belongs in the meeting notes. The log can link to those notes, but it should not duplicate them. That separation keeps the log short and makes it searchable. A reader who needs the context can follow the link; a reader who needs the answer gets it immediately.
Name the authority
Every decision should name the person or body with the authority to make it. The chief of staff often coordinates the decision but does not own it. Recording the authority prevents a later disagreement about whether the decision was valid.
When authority is delegated, record the delegation and its limits. “Approved by the CFO within the approved budget” is more useful than “approved.” If the decision exceeds the delegated limit, the log should show the escalation rather than hiding it.
Capture the options that were real
A decision log does not need every idea that was mentioned. It needs the options that were genuinely available and the reason the chosen option won. One line is enough: “Chose vendor B because it meets the security requirement within the current budget.”
This record helps a later reviewer understand the trade-off without reopening the debate. It also prevents the team from treating a decision as arbitrary when it was made on clear criteria. Keep the criteria, not the whole conversation.
Set a follow-up date and an owner
A decision without a follow-up is often just an intention. Add the next action, the owner, and the date it is due. If the decision requires no action, say so explicitly. An empty follow-up field is ambiguous.
The chief of staff should review open follow-ups weekly and close them with a date. A closed item stays in the log with the closure date and the outcome. That history is what makes the log useful months later.
Use one identifier and one location
Give each decision a stable identifier, such as a date-based reference. Store the log in one governed location and link to supporting documents rather than pasting them. If the team uses a task system, link the decision to the task instead of duplicating the details in both places.
A single location is more important than a sophisticated tool. A shared document with a clear owner and a version history beats a database that only one person can access. The chief of staff should be able to export it if the tool changes.
Separate standing decisions from one-off decisions
Some decisions are made once and stay in force, such as a policy on travel approval. Others apply to a single situation. Record the type so a reader does not mistake a one-off exception for a standing rule.
Standing decisions should include a review date. Policies age, and an old decision may no longer reflect the business. A short review on the anniversary, or when the context changes, keeps the log from becoming a museum of obsolete rules.
Keep the log small enough to trust
A log with hundreds of entries is hard to search and easy to ignore. Review it quarterly and archive decisions that are no longer active. Archiving is not deletion; it moves the item to a read-only history so the active log stays usable.
The chief of staff should also remove entries that were never decisions. A topic that was discussed and deferred does not belong in the log unless the deferral itself was a decision with a date. Keeping the log honest is more valuable than keeping it large.
Use the log in reviews
Bring the log to the weekly leadership review and to the quarterly planning session. Use it to check whether prior decisions were implemented and whether the assumptions still hold. A log that is never read is just another document.
The review should produce a small number of actions, not a long report. Reopen one decision, confirm one closure, or correct one entry. That rhythm keeps the log current without turning it into a bureaucratic exercise.
Key takeaways
- Record the decision and the authority, not the whole discussion.
- Capture the real options and the criteria that decided between them.
- Give every decision an owner, a follow-up date, and a stable identifier.
- Keep one governed location, separate standing from one-off decisions, and archive quarterly.
A decision log is useful when it is small, current, and easy to search. The chief of staff does not need a perfect record of every conversation. They need a reliable record of the choices that someone will ask about later.
For related workflows, see the CEO briefing note guide and the executive assistant services overview.