The owner decision log: the simplest project control there is

Projects rarely fail from one bad decision. They erode through dozens of small ones nobody wrote down.

What a decision log contains

One row per decision: the date, the question, who decided, what was decided, and the cost or schedule impact if known. Nothing else. It fits on one page and takes ten minutes a week.

Why it works

• It converts hallway conversations into a record
• It exposes decisions waiting on you before they become delay claims
• It makes change order entitlement arguments short
• It gives new team members the project's history in one read

Meeting discipline

• A published agenda before every progress meeting
• Minutes issued within 48 hours, with an objection window
• Action items with owners and dates, carried forward until closed
• Silence treated as acceptance only if the contract says so — and it should say so

The owner's half of the bargain

Contractors are entitled to timely decisions. If you hold selections, approvals, or answers, you are creating delay and, under most contracts, paying for it. The decision log makes your own responsiveness visible, which is uncomfortable and useful.

Start it today

Even mid-project, a log begun now is better than none. The first entries will be the ones you argue about later.