Compliance Programme Decision Log
This is a practical guide to building a decision log for a compliance programme project — a record of the key decisions made, by whom and why, adapted to the realities of achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance.
What a Decision Log is
A decision log is a record of the key decisions made, by whom and why. For the full concept and how it works in general, see Decision Log. On a compliance programme project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for a Compliance Programme project
Compliance Programme projects live or die on achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance. A well-built decision log gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how compliance programme projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Decision
- Date and owner
- Rationale
- Alternatives considered
- Impact
Compliance Programme-specific considerations
Tailor the decision log to the risks that most often derail compliance programme projects:
- Evolving regulation
- Evidence and audit
- Cross-department coordination
Example
On a real compliance programme project, the decision log would be shaped by achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — evolving regulation, evidence and audit, cross-department coordination — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.