In institutional practice the memo, not the meeting, is the durable unit of decision quality.
Glossary
Decision Memo
The call, the dissent, the first step.
In short
The terminal artifact of a deliberation: a written record of the recommendation, the reasoning behind it, the dissents that survived debate, the assumptions it depends on, and the next steps it implies. A decision memo is what separates an analysis from a decision — it names a call, states what would have to be true for the call to be wrong, and gives a future reader (including the author, six months later) enough to audit the reasoning rather than just the outcome.
Last reviewed
In SynthBoard
Where it shows up.
The product, not the theory.
In the memo.
A board ends in a memo: the call and how sure the board is, what would flip it, who disagreed and why, and one first step with a day.
Or ask one expert.
The CEO takes it — about a minute, and the card shows “up to 65 credits” before anything runs. Nothing runs until you tap.
Keep reading
Related terms.
Term
Decision Journal
A written log in which a decision-maker records — before the outcome is known — the question being decided, the options considered, the reasoning behind the chosen path, the predicted outcome, and the confidence level.
Definition TermDecision Matrix
A structured table for comparing multiple options against multiple criteria.
Definition TermDecision Paralysis
The inability to commit to a decision despite having sufficient information, typically caused by fear of regret, perceived irreversibility, or the absence of a clear decision rule.
Definition TermDecision Quality
A framework for evaluating the rigor of a decision process independent of its outcome.
Definition TermDecision-Outcome Feedback Loop
The practice of closing the loop between a decision and what actually happened, so advice can be scored rather than merely admired.
Definition GuideDecision intelligence, explained
The complete guide to making strategic calls with AI that disagrees on purpose.
Read the guide The benchMeet the experts
24 named experts, each with a point of view of their own.
Meet themSynthBoard (synthboard.ai) is one place for your business, your life, and every hard call. Your Chief of Staff keeps what you tell her on file, and 24 named experts on different AI models take the calls — one expert for a consult, a board with opposed seats for the hard ones — and hand back a memo with the call, the dissent and the first move. How it works.
