What is a Flow Decision Record (FDR)?

A Flow Decision Record (FDR) is a short, structured artifact that captures a decision made to improve the flow of value in an organization. Like an Architecture Decision Record, it emphasizes clarity, traceability, and accountability—but instead of focusing on technical architecture, it focuses on organizational dynamics, team interactions, and strategic alignment with flow.

FDRs enable decentralized decision-making by using an advice process: those closest to the work gather input from people affected by or with expertise in the decision. The result is a documented, transparent record that supports learning and coherence across teams.

When to Create a Flow Decision Record

Use an FDR when making decisions about:

  • Team boundary changes
  • Service ownership shifts
  • Coordination mechanism changes
  • New platform capabilities or abstractions
  • Redesigning team-to-team interactions
  • Replacing or removing internal dependencies

Core Structure of a Flow Decision Record

You want this to be scannable, lightweight, and repeatable. Here’s a proposed structure:

Id: FDR-###

Title: Short, descriptive summary of the decision

Date: YYYY-MM-DD

Status: Proposed | Approved | Implemented | Evaluated

Context: What prompted this decision? What struggle, signal, or user need triggered it? (See Flow Decision Triggers)

Decision: What decision is being made? What boundaries, responsibilities, or interactions will change? (See Flow Decision Approaches)

Advice Gathered: Who was consulted and what input was considered?

Expected Impact: What flow outcome is this intended to improve? (See Flow Decision Outcomes)

Dependencies & Risks: Are there path dependencies or potential blockers?

Placement on Flow Roadmap: Now | Next | Later - Why this timing?

Evaluation Plan: When and how will we revisit this decision? (See Flow Decision Metrics)

Notes & Attachments: Link to Miro board, Linked to User Needs Map

Using FDRs on a Flow Roadmap

You can use a Now / Next / Later roadmap to visualize prioritized FDRs based on:

  • Expected impact (on flow, team clarity, user alignment)
  • Feasibility (cost, time, risk, resistance)
  • Dependencies (what needs to happen first)

Once implemented, each FDR enters an Evaluation Loop where teams assess:

  • Did it have the intended impact?
  • What new signals or needs emerged? -Should we evolve this decision or reverse it?

Flow Decision Record Template

The following templates are available to help you create FDRs:

Now that you know what a Flow Decision Record is, you can learn how to Trigger a Flow Decision Record.

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