Notes from the review desk.
Three working habits for teams moving between a site, a drawing set, and the next project decision.
A short note can still preserve the reason.
Illustrative decision memo. The useful part is not its length; it is the connection between the choice, its basis, and the condition that would change it.
- Decision
- Advance option B for the next test fit.
- Basis
- It keeps the current access concept while meeting the shared program assumptions.
- Still open
- Parking arrangement and the entitlement path need confirmation.
- Reopen if
- The survey, unit mix, cost plan, or approval strategy changes.
Compare the assumptions before the options
Two site concepts can look like alternatives while answering different questions. One may use a different parcel boundary, parking assumption, or intended use. Before comparing the arrangements, write down the inputs they share and the inputs that differ. Then the discussion can focus on the consequences of a design choice instead of an unnoticed change in the basis of the study.
A missing dimension is its own kind of finding
A reported conflict and an unresolved measurement should not create the same work item. In the first case, the team needs to inspect the conflict and determine a response. In the second, it needs to establish the condition before deciding whether a conflict exists. Keep that distinction in review notes; otherwise, a request for clarification can become an unnecessary redesign task.
The next reviewer needs the reason
A handoff that says only “use option B” leaves the next person guessing. Add the reason it was selected, the source information used, and the assumptions that would cause the decision to change. The record does not need to be long. It needs to let another person understand the choice and recognize when new information makes it worth revisiting.