Architecture decisions get revisited when the reasoning is lost, and a recommendation buried on page three is rarely read. This template records one decision in order: the recommendation and decision date, the context, the options and their trade-offs, the consequences and risks, and the status and issues that follow. It stays useful months later, when an auditor or a new engineer asks why.

The sample is for Kingfisher Row Digital, a fictional retailer deciding how its order and shipping services should exchange events before the November peak. Its costs, error rates and risks are sample data. Replace the options and figures with your own, and add the decision to your log with a revisit date.