Open standards & artifacts for accountable systems.

Specification sheet

Permanent link /mechanisms/patterns/decision-log

MEC-01 Decision log with dissent

Capture high-stakes calls, dissenting views, and follow-ups so governance stays legible to teams and impacted people.

Where it fits

Filters and handoffs

Tagged for Governance, Policy with validator handshakes. Includes 3 steps, 3 reusable assets, and 4 snippet blocks.

Scholarly metadata

Authorship

Contact: research@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

  • Published: Dec 3, 2025
  • Last updated: Jan 9, 2026
  • Version: v1.1.0
  • DOI: Pending Zenodo deposit

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the page title + version, and link to the canonical permalink.

Archive snapshot: Wayback capture

Changelog

  • v1.1.0 · 2026-01-09 — Added citation metadata, mechanisms-level authorship details, and structured usage guidance.
  • v1.0.0 · 2025-12-03 — Initial public mechanisms release.

Copy citation (APA/BibTeX)

Cite this page Formats: APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS

Version

v1.1.0

Last updated

Jan 9, 2026

DOI

Pending Zenodo deposit

APA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. (2026). MEC-01 Decision log with dissent. Ethotechnics Institute. https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/decision-log

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "MEC-01 Decision log with dissent." Ethotechnics Institute, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/decision-log.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "MEC-01 Decision log with dissent." Ethotechnics Institute. Jan 9, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/decision-log.

BibTeX

@misc{mechanism_decision-log,
  title={MEC-01 Decision log with dissent},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute Research Team},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics Institute},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/decision-log},
  version={v1.1.0}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - MEC-01 Decision log with dissent
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute Research Team
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/decision-log
ER  -

Specification overview

At-a-glance details for planning and handoffs.

Capture the scope, assets, and validator handshakes before diving into the steps.

Spec essentials

What ships with this mechanism

  • 3 steps with checklist-ready owners.
  • 3 reusable assets for briefs and runbooks.
  • 4 reuse-ready snippet blocks.
  • 3 glossary anchors for shared terms.

Filters & validators

Where this spec sits in the system

Tagged in 2 filters with 1 linked validators.

Glossary anchors

Link back to the definitions.

Jump to the glossary terms that frame this mechanism.

Steps

Put the mechanism in motion.

Start with the field cues, then use the assets to keep the work legible.

3 steps with checklist-ready owners, plus linked assets for handoffs.

Assets

Keep outputs reusable.

Link or copy these assets into design docs, runbooks, and briefs so the mechanism travels with the work.

Decision record template

Captures the decision, dissent, and follow-ups with owners.

Plain-language summary

One-paragraph recap teams can paste into briefs or release notes without jargon.

Stewardship calendar entry

Review reminder aligned to maintenance or appeal windows.

Reuse-ready snippets

Copy policy, audit, and incident language.

Use these snippets in requirements, audits, and postmortems with the mechanism permalink.

Policy requirement

Policy requirement (MEC-01 Decision log with dissent)
- Maintain a decision log for high-stakes changes with dissenting views and a dated review owner.
- Store the log in a shared system of record and retain links in audit and incident records.
Reference: https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/decision-log

Product requirement

Product requirement (MEC-01)
- Every high-stakes automated decision emits a decision-log entry ID in the receipt.
- The UI links to a plain-language summary within two clicks of the decision outcome.

Audit evidence checklist

Audit evidence checklist (MEC-01)
[ ] Decision log entries include owner, dissent, and review date.
[ ] Plain-language summaries are attached and shareable.
[ ] Stewardship reviews were completed on schedule.

Postmortem trigger

Postmortem trigger (MEC-01)
Trigger review if a high-stakes decision ships without a logged entry or dissent record.

Example usage

Recording a launch gate call

A concrete scenario to help teams see how the pieces fit together.

How it plays out

A cross-functional team logs why an automation launch was delayed, notes dissent from support leads, links the appeal path, and schedules a stewardship review in six weeks.

Anti-patterns

Common failure cases and counterfactuals

Use these to avoid superficial compliance and clarify what success requires.

Logs without dissent

Records the decision but omits rejected options and dissenting views.

Counterfactual: Decision logs include rejected options, dissent, and a dated review owner.

False-positive warning: If no dissent exists, log the absence explicitly so future reviewers can see it was considered.

Out-of-band records

Keeps accountability logs in private documents that impacted teams cannot access.

Counterfactual: Logs live in the canonical record with a shareable receipt link.

False-positive warning: Sensitive data can be redacted, but the receipt must remain referenceable.

Validators

Pair validators with this mechanism.

Use these tools to size risk and keep the stewardship path visible.

Validator

Burden Modeler

Quantifies task load, cognitive friction, and risk exposure so you can reroute toil before it burns people out.