---
title: "One-page decision memo: context, options, the ask"
slug: memo-decision-una-pagina
lang: en
situation: comunicar
format: plantilla
minutes: 20
updated: 2026-10-19
---

# One-page decision memo: context, options, the ask

> For the manager who needs a yes or no from the committee and knows another thirty-slide deck will only buy another meeting.

## When to use it

- You need approval for an AI purchase, pilot or pause and the committee meets once a month.
- You have presented twice already and the conclusion was "let's keep analysing".
- Someone asked you to "send me something short" and what you have is a report.

## The sheet

| # | Section | What to write | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Title | Name the decision, not the topic. "Approve X by date Y", not "AI update". | 10 words |
| 2 | Context | How things stand today. Facts and baseline figures only. | 3–4 sentences |
| 3 | Complication | What changed, or what is lost if we do not decide. With the number that makes it urgent. | 2–3 sentences |
| 4 | Options | 2 or 3 mutually exclusive options, each with a name, one line and its main cost or risk. No preference. | 1–2 lines each |
| 5 | Recommendation | The chosen option and the data point that tips the balance. | 1 short paragraph |
| 6 | Risks and mitigation | The 3 the committee will ask about, with a one-line answer each. | 3 bullets |
| 7 | The ask | Yes or no, who executes and by when. Never "discuss next steps". | 1 line |

Total: about 400 words. If it does not fit, cut from the context, not from the ask.

## Illustrative example (fictional company and figures)

**Title:** Approve AI pilot for quotes by 15 November.
**Context:** Sales issues 600 quotes a month with a 3-day average response; two people review each one.
**Complication:** Our main client asked for 24-hour responses from January. Today we meet that deadline on 1 in 5 quotes.
**Options:** (A) Hire a third reviewer: solves volume, not speed. (B) AI pilot with human review on 20% of quotes: 8 weeks, one vendor. (C) Wait for the new sales system: arrives in June.
**Recommendation:** B. The only option that tests speed before January and can be cancelled in week 4.
**Risks:** pricing error → the reviewer signs every pilot quote; client data → non-personal fields only; low adoption → a named rep takes part from day 1.
**Ask:** Approve the pilot today. Marta (sales) leads it; results report on 20 January.

## How to fill it in 20 minutes

1. Write the ask first (row 7). If it does not fit in one line, you do not yet know what you are asking for.
2. Write the title from the ask.
3. Fill context and complication only with figures you can stand behind if asked where they came from.
4. Every option must be defensible. If one is clearly bad, it is filler, not an option.
5. Put down the three risks that would genuinely make you hesitate, not the easiest to mitigate.
6. The most common mistake: hiding the recommendation inside the options. The reader notices the bias and distrusts the rest.

## The line that is almost always missing

The number in the complication. Without it, the memo says "this matters" and the committee replies "yes, but not now". With it, the committee has to say why not.

## If this becomes a big decision

If the decision is hard to reverse and carries your name, the free tools at vicsol.org/decision-clarity/ help you structure it. They do not replace a formal review.

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Vic Sol · Decision Desk · vicsol.org/resources/ · Free to use with attribution.
This sheet structures a conversation; it is not legal, financial or audit advice.