[[Impact mapping]]-like [[Decision making|decision making]]:
> A framework for capturing decisions in a way that preserves context — not just _what_ was decided, but _why_ it mattered and _what_ it changed.
Most [[Decision log|decision logs]] fail because they record outcomes without business context. This framework forces the connection between a decision and the problem it solves - making it useful not just as an archive, but as a living reference for future decisions.
- **WHY** decision is made (business [[Problem|problem]] statement with context)
- **WHO** decision maker
- **WHEN** decision was made
- **HOW** decision is made with justification
- ***WITH*** options considered
- **WHAT** [[Outcome|outcomes]] (good or bad) decision brings
^parts
Particularly useful when:
- onboarding new team members who need to understand _why_ things are the way they are
- evaluating whether a past decision still holds given new context
- avoiding rebuilding the wheel — similar problems often have reusable solutions
When applied at scale across an organization, decision logs form a **knowledge graph of business problems and solutions** — queryable with AI, reusable across teams, and resilient to people rotation.
## Examples
### Why Obsidian as my [[Personal Knowledge management|PKM]]?
**WHY** - After years of using different tools, the knowledge I collected kept getting scattered or lost during migrations. I needed a system that would grow with me - without vendor lock-in risk and without spending more time organizing information than actually thinking.
**WHO** - Me (individual decision, no stakeholders)
**WHEN** - 2021
**HOW** - I evaluated available tools against [[Choosing the right notes app#The 7 requirements|7 criteria]]:
|Criteria|[[Notion]]|[[Roam Research]]|[[Logseq]]|**[[Obsidian]]**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|All-in-one|✅|⚠️|✅|✅|
|Simple as f***|❌|⚠️|⚠️|✅|
|Graph-based|❌|✅|✅|✅|
|Customizable|✅|⚠️|✅|✅|
|Multiplatform|✅|✅|✅|✅|
|Lifetime solution|❌|❌|⚠️|✅|
|Easily replaceable|❌|❌|✅|✅|
[[Choosing the right notes app#What Makes Obsidian Stand Out?|Obsidian was the only tool that met all criteria]] - particularly local plain text storage (Markdown) which eliminates data loss risk when switching tools.
**WHAT**
- ✅ [[Knowledge graph]] that grows and survives tool and people rotation
- ✅ Foundation for AI agent integration ([[Claude Code]] + [[Obsidian Agent Skills]])
- ✅ Single system for [[Knowledge management|knowledge]], [[Tasks management|tasks]] and [[Decision log|decisions]] — based on [[Build a Second Brain]]
- ⚠️ Learning curve on plugin configuration — requires upfront time investment