Education Programme Decision Log
This is a practical guide to building a decision log for an education programme project — a record of the key decisions made, by whom and why, adapted to the realities of delivering an education or training programme.
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 an education programme project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for an Education Programme project
Education Programme projects live or die on delivering an education or training programme. 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 education programme projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Decision
- Date and owner
- Rationale
- Alternatives considered
- Impact
Education Programme-specific considerations
Tailor the decision log to the risks that most often derail education programme projects:
- Stakeholder diversity
- Academic-calendar windows
- Limited budgets
Example
On a real education programme project, the decision log would be shaped by delivering an education or training programme. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — stakeholder diversity, academic-calendar windows, limited budgets — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.