Documenting trade-off decisions

Documenting important trade-off decisions creates a valuable record that benefits both current and future product work. When teams document not just what was decided but why, they build institutional knowledge that prevents repeating past mistakes and explains current product limitations. Good decision documentation captures the context, options considered, criteria used, and final rationale. This becomes particularly valuable during team transitions or when explaining product choices to new stakeholders. Documentation doesn't need to be extensive: a simple template with the decision, alternatives, key factors, and reasoning is sufficient. Some teams use decision logs, while others document important trade-offs in product requirements or team wikis.

The most important aspect is making documentation a habit. When important decisions are made, take a few minutes to record them while the reasoning is fresh. This small investment pays dividends when questions arise later about why certain approaches were chosen. Rather than viewing documentation as bureaucracy, see it as creating clarity that will save time and build alignment across the organization.