Define the decision rather than the topic
A decision memo serves a choice that someone has to make. Write that choice in one sentence and identify who has authority to make it. Then state the objective and constraints. A discussion of training is broad; choosing between two training arrangements for a defined team is more concrete. Do not assume the decision-maker shares your priorities. Confirm the criteria before spending time producing a polished recommendation that answers the wrong question.
Compare viable alternatives
Describe options that could genuinely be chosen, including maintaining the current arrangement when relevant. Use the same criteria for each option and expose trade-offs. Do not make your preferred option look better by describing every advantage in detail while reducing alternatives to a caricature. If an option is infeasible, explain the constraint and remove it openly. A short comparison that treats alternatives fairly is more useful than a long document designed to make only one answer possible.
Separate facts, estimates and assumptions
Mark the status of each important input. A confirmed price, an estimated time requirement and an assumption about participation should not be presented as equally certain. Explain where the information came from and which missing fact could materially affect the decision. For an illustrative training choice, uncertain attendance might matter more than a small difference in advertised fees. This is an example of structuring analysis, not advice about a particular purchase or employment decision.
Recommend with a condition for revision
State the option you recommend and the reasoning in a few sentences. Then name the condition under which you would reconsider it. This makes the recommendation more inspectable; it does not weaken it. Identify the next practical step, the responsible person and the evidence needed before commitment. Keep authority clear: writing a recommendation is different from being authorised to approve a contract, spend money or change another person’s responsibilities.
Use a one-page review
Before sending, check whether a reader can identify the choice, criteria, alternatives, uncertainty and proposed next action without searching through background material. Move supporting detail to an appropriate appendix. Remove confident wording where the underlying input is only an assumption. After the decision, retain the approved record under the organisation’s rules so that later review can compare the original reasoning with what happened, rather than judging the quality of the decision only by its outcome.
A practical exercise
Use a fictional, low-stakes choice such as selecting a format for a study-group meeting. Write a one-page memo with two viable alternatives, common criteria and a conditional recommendation. Label every invented detail as part of the scenario. Ask another reader to identify the decision and the most important uncertainty without your help. If they cannot, revise the structure before adding detail. Keep the exercise separate from real spending or personnel decisions. Its purpose is to practise a transparent recommendation, including the ability to explain why another reasonable person might prefer a different trade-off.
