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The one page decision memo

What is broken, who it hurts, what you'd do about it, and how you'd know it worked. One page to a founder.

When you reach for it

When a founder or exec needs to make a call, and a meeting alone won't produce one.

  1. 1

    The problem, with a number

    Grounds the whole memo in evidence in the first two sentences, before anyone can skim past it.

    What it asks

    What's broken, and what evidence proves it, in the first two sentences.

    Filled in

    We're losing roughly 6 in 10 new signups at email verification, because the code expires in 10 minutes and the median user takes 14 to find it. This shows up as 88 of our last 200 app store reviews and matches the funnel drop from 41 percent to 19 percent completing signup.

    How it goes wrong

    Opening with background instead of the problem. If Maya has to read three paragraphs before she knows what's wrong, she'll skim, and skimming means she misses the number that makes the case.

  2. 2

    Who it hurts, specifically

    Makes the cost concrete instead of abstract, so the decision feels urgent rather than theoretical.

    What it asks

    Which users, how many, and what happens to them because of this problem.

    Filled in

    New signups only, roughly 550 people a month at current volume. They download the app, try to verify, fail, and 94 percent never open it again, per Ana's re-engagement data. We're not losing existing customers, we're losing everyone who never became one.

    How it goes wrong

    Vague language like "many users are affected." A founder reading a one pager cannot act on "many." They can act on 550.

  3. 3

    What I would do

    Commits to a specific recommendation, because a memo that lists five options is asking the founder to do your job.

    What it asks

    What's the one thing you'd do first, and roughly what does it cost in time?

    Filled in

    Extend the verification code expiry from 10 minutes to 24 hours and add a resend button on the entry screen. Dev estimates two days including testing. I'd ship it this sprint, ahead of the two features currently planned.

    How it goes wrong

    Presenting three options with pros and cons for each and no recommendation, which reads as thorough but is actually a way to avoid being wrong. Pick one and say why.

  4. 4

    How you'd know it worked

    Names the metric that proves the decision right or wrong, so there's an actual verdict later instead of a vague sense that things improved.

    What it asks

    What number moves, by when, if this was the right call?

    Filled in

    Signup completion rate rises from 41 percent toward the 65 to 70 percent range we see in comparable steps, within two weeks of shipping. I'll report back on the 14th.

    How it goes wrong

    No follow up date, so the memo becomes a one time event instead of a claim that gets checked. Put a date on your own accountability, not just the ask.

Take the whole thing

Paste into your doc
# Decision memo: [subject]

## The problem
What's broken, and the evidence, in two sentences.


## Who it hurts
Which users, how many, and what happens to them.


## What I would do
The one recommendation, and roughly what it costs.


## How I'd know it worked
The metric that moves, by when. Follow-up date:


To:
From:
Date:
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