REASONING GAP

When the evidence remains, but the rationale does not.

WHAT WAS PRESENT

Final authorization, supporting records, operational data, and approval history.

WHAT BECAME DIFFICULT TO RECONSTRUCT

  • Alternatives considered
  • Uncertainty remaining
  • Trade-offs evaluated
  • Why the selected course was reasonable

WHAT A REVIEWER-READY RECORD MAKES VISIBLE

Context · evidence · judgment · alternatives · rationale · authority · conditions.

WHAT THE DECISION REVIEW CHECKS

Six parts of the explanation are reviewed.

ContextWhat triggered the decision and what was in scope.
EvidenceWhich records or data materially informed the decision.
JudgmentWhat risk, uncertainty, or trade-offs had to be considered.
RationaleWhy the selected course was considered reasonable.
AuthorityWho had responsibility to authorize the completed decision.
ConditionsWhat follow-up, limitations, or commitments remained attached to it.

HOW THE RECOMMENDATION WORKS

The workspace can reach one of three conclusions.

Create the decision record now

The decision is complete and enough of its available basis can be identified to begin organizing it.

Locate key context first

The decision may deserve attention, but critical parts of the explanation are not yet identifiable.

Review another completed decision first

The selected decision is not yet the strongest candidate for immediate review.