Hospital Construction Decision Log
This is a practical guide to building a decision log for a hospital construction project — a record of the key decisions made, by whom and why, adapted to the realities of building a hospital or healthcare facility.
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 hospital construction project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for a Hospital Construction project
Hospital Construction projects live or die on building a hospital or healthcare facility. 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 hospital construction projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Decision
- Date and owner
- Rationale
- Alternatives considered
- Impact
Hospital Construction-specific considerations
Tailor the decision log to the risks that most often derail hospital construction projects:
- Strict regulatory approval
- Complex MEP services
- Infection-control requirements
Example
On a real hospital construction project, the decision log would be shaped by building a hospital or healthcare facility. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — strict regulatory approval, complex MEP services, infection-control requirements — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.