Flow Decision Records (FDRs) are short, structured documents used to capture key decisions made to improve the flow of value within an organization.

Inspired by Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), FDRs are lightweight, transparent, and grounded in context. They help organizations make better decisions—faster—by surfacing struggles, gathering advice, and recording how decisions impact flow over time.

🧭 Why Flow Decision Records?

Organizations are systems in motion—not static charts. Decisions about team structure, ownership, and platform boundaries shape how work flows (or gets blocked). But these decisions are often:

  • Made in silos
  • Driven by gut feel or fire-fighting
  • Poorly documented
  • Hard to evaluate later

FDRs fix that. They support:

  • Decentralized, informed decision-making
  • Traceability of why decisions were made
  • Learning loops based on real-world flow outcomes

📄 What’s in an FDR?

Each record includes:

  • The trigger: What prompted the decision (e.g., delivery delays, unclear ownership)
  • The decision: What change is being proposed
  • The approach: What kind of intervention is being used (e.g., split a team, simplify a platform)
  • The expected outcomes and flow metrics: What success looks like
  • The advice process: Who was consulted and why
  • The roadmap position: Is this happening now, next, or later?
  • The evaluation plan: How and when we’ll know it worked

👉 View a sample FDR

🧠 Learn the Language of Flow

Want to understand the building blocks of FDRs? Start here:

🚀 Get Started

  1. Use our template to draft your first Flow Decision Record.
  2. Add it to your repository.
  3. Place it on your Flow Roadmap using Now / Next / Later.
  4. Invite advice and evaluate its impact.

💬 Contribute and Collaborate

Flow decisions are never final—they evolve with new insight. Share yours, improve ours, and help shape a more adaptive, user-aligned organization.