Use this template for important project decisions that should remain understandable after the original discussion is gone.
Decision records are required for safety-sensitive, benchmark-sensitive, release-sensitive, calibration-sensitive, or claim-sensitive changes.
# Decision Record: <short title>
## Metadata
- Decision ID: DR-YYYY-MM-DD-short-name
- Date: YYYY-MM-DD
- Status: proposed | accepted | rejected | superseded
- Decision class: A | B | C | D
- Owner: name-or-role
- Reviewers: names-or-roles
- Related PRs/issues: links
## Context
What problem or choice required a decision?
## Options considered
### Option 1
Description.
Pros:
- ...
Cons:
- ...
### Option 2
Description.
Pros:
- ...
Cons:
- ...
## Evidence
List evidence used:
- tests;
- benchmarks;
- cheap-baseline comparisons;
- safety review;
- external review;
- proof-ladder mapping;
- dataset cards;
- model cards;
- prior decision records.
## Safety impact
Does this decision affect:
- release status;
- candidate artifacts;
- model artifacts;
- external-facing docs;
- unsafe use risk;
- claim language?
## Scientific impact
Does this decision affect:
- scoring;
- ranking;
- benchmark status;
- calibration;
- candidate selection;
- proof-ladder level;
- interpretation of results?
## Decision
State the decision clearly.
## Why this decision
Explain why this decision is better than alternatives.
## What this does not prove
List boundaries and limitations.
## Revisit condition
What new evidence would trigger revisiting this decision?
## Follow-up tasks
- [ ] Task 1
- [ ] Task 2| Class | Meaning | Review |
|---|---|---|
| A | Routine docs or small bug fix | Maintainer review. |
| B | Infrastructure or compatibility change | Maintainer review and docs. |
| C | Scientific behavior change | Scientific/benchmark review. |
| D | Safety-sensitive or release-sensitive change | Safety review required. |
A decision record should make future disagreement easier, not harder.