Product Map

Product map Decisions Decision Options

Decision Options

Record alternatives and explain why an option was selected.

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Capability overview

A final decision rarely tells the whole story. Teams usually compare several credible paths, each with different cost, risk, timing, and operating implications.

Decision Options keeps those alternatives with the decision record. Teams can describe each option, record the reasoning behind it, and mark whether it was selected, rejected, deferred, or remains under consideration.

Preserving the option set makes later reviews faster because teams can see what was already explored and why the chosen path won.

What this helps with

  • Keep alternatives with the decision they informed
  • Show clearly which option was selected
  • Preserve why options were rejected or deferred
  • Support proposals while choices remain under consideration
  • Avoid repeating analysis when a decision is revisited
  • Make trade-offs easier for stakeholders to understand

Common use cases

  • Comparing renew, replace, and consolidate options for a platform
  • Evaluating architecture approaches before committing delivery capacity
  • Recording alternative mitigations for a material risk
  • Comparing scope or timing choices during planning
  • Deferring a credible option until its assumptions become true

Who it helps

Technology leaders comparing strategic and operating choices

Architecture teams evaluating technical approaches

Platform and commercial owners making vendor decisions

Delivery leaders comparing scope, sequence, and timing options

Risk owners selecting between mitigation approaches

How this connects to Nortrue

Decision Options adds the comparison behind records in the Decision Register.

Options can be considered alongside linked projects, risks, platforms, agreements, strategy, and team context, while the selected direction continues through the detailed decision workflow, timeline, and status history.

Frequently asked questions

What outcomes can a decision option have?

An option can be under consideration, selected, rejected, or deferred.

Can more than one option be selected?

No. A decision keeps one selected option so the agreed direction remains clear.

Can teams explain why an option was not chosen?

Yes. Each option can include reasoning that explains why it was selected, rejected, or deferred.

Can options be added before a decision is final?

Yes. Options can remain under consideration while the decision is still proposed.