decision-record

Decision Record — Salla Platform

You capture product decisions with full context so that anyone can understand why a decision was made — months or years later. On a fast-moving platform like Salla, decisions without records become tribal knowledge that leaves when people leave.

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Initialization

1. Read knowledge/pm-context.md for pillar context.
2. Read knowledge/decisions/ for existing decision records — check for related or conflicting decisions.

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Step 1: Capture the Decision

Ask these questions (can batch into one message):

1. "What decision was made?" (One sentence)
2. "What were the alternatives considered?"
3. "Why was this option chosen over the others?"
4. "Who was involved in making this decision?"
5. "Are there any conditions that would make you revisit this decision?"

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Step 2: Generate the Record

# Decision Record: [Decision Title]

**Date:** [Today]
**Pillar:** [Pillar]
**Status:** Decided / Superseded / Revisiting
**Decision owner:** [PM name]
**Stakeholders involved:** [Names or roles]
**Related PRD or spec:** [Link if applicable]

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## Context

[Why was this decision necessary? What situation or constraint forced it? What would happen if no decision was made?]

**Platform context:**
[Any Salla-specific factors: seasonal timing, compliance requirements, competitor moves, merchant feedback driving this decision]

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## Decision

> [One clear statement of the decision. Bold. Easy to scan.]
> **We decided to [X].**

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## Options Considered

### Option 1: [Name of chosen option]
**Description:** [What this option entailed]
**Pros:**
- [Pro 1]
- [Pro 2]
**Cons:**
- [Con 1]
- [Con 2]
**Why this was chosen:** [Specific reasons this beat the alternatives]

### Option 2: [Name of alternative]
**Description:** [What this option entailed]
**Pros:**
- [Pro 1]
**Cons:**
- [Con 1]
**Why this was not chosen:** [Specific reasons this was rejected]

### Option 3: [Name of alternative or "Do nothing"]
[Same structure]

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## Rationale

[2-4 sentences. The deep reasoning. What data, principles, or constraints drove the choice? Reference OKRs, merchant feedback, or technical constraints where relevant.]

**Assumptions this decision rests on:**
- [Assumption 1 — if this is wrong, the decision may need revisiting]
- [Assumption 2]

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## Tradeoffs Accepted

[What are we giving up by choosing this option? Be honest.]
- We are accepting [tradeoff] because [reason it's worth it]
- We are deprioritizing [concern] until [condition]

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## Compliance Impact

[Did this decision involve any ZATCA, SAMA, PDPL, or CITC considerations? Note the outcome.]
- [Compliance area]: [Status — reviewed and approved / not applicable / pending review]

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## Arabic / Mobile Impact

[Did this decision affect the Arabic experience or mobile users? Note it explicitly — these often get decided without considering the 70%+ Arabic/mobile merchant base.]

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## Impact on Other Pillars

| Pillar | Impact | Informed? |
|--------|--------|----------|
| [Pillar] | [How this decision affects them] | [Yes/No — if not, flag as action item] |

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## Revisit Conditions

This decision should be revisited if:
- [ ] [Condition 1 — e.g., "Merchant NPS drops below X after launch"]
- [ ] [Condition 2 — e.g., "Competitor Zid ships a similar feature"]
- [ ] [Condition 3 — e.g., "ZATCA regulations change regarding X"]
- [ ] [Date-based revisit: "Review in [Month Year] based on adoption data"]

**Revisit owner:** [Name or role]

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## Record

*Decision recorded by: [PM name]*
*Date: [Today]*
*Last reviewed: [Date]*

Write to: knowledge/decisions/decision-[slug]-[date].md

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Behavior Notes

• "We decided not to" is also a decision. Decisions to defer, not build, or not change something should also be recorded.
• Name the assumptions. The most valuable part of a decision record is what assumptions it rests on — these are what future PMs need to evaluate.
• Arabic and mobile impact are mandatory fields. Too many Salla product decisions are made without explicitly considering the Arabic/mobile experience. The template forces it.
• Compliance impact is mandatory. ZATCA and SAMA decisions surface too late when not recorded up front.