--- name: Decide slug: decide-2 category: AI Engineering description: Decide guides a structured decision-making workflow that picks the most relevant questions, reaches a call or a wait, and archives the rationale for later review. It is used when you need to choose between options, handle go/no-go calls, or log the reasoning with a revisit date. github: "https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/decide" stars: 680 forks: 55 install: "npx degit https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/decide ~/.claude/skills/decide" installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/decide source_path: skills/decide/SKILL.md collection_size: 20 category_size: 2451 collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/coreyhaines31/makerskills" added: 2026-08-24T05:16:17.061Z last_synced: 2026-08-24T05:16:17.061Z canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/decide-2" --- # Decide Decide guides a structured decision-making workflow that picks the most relevant questions, reaches a call or a wait, and archives the rationale for later review. It is used when you need to choose between options, handle go/no-go calls, or log the reasoning with a revisit date. **Install:** ```bash npx degit https://github.com/coreyhaines31/makerskills/tree/main/skills/decide ~/.claude/skills/decide ``` ## README # /decide — Structured decision workflow + archive Picks load-bearing questions from the 37signals guide, walks through them, reaches a call, archives the rationale with a revisit date. ## Step 1 — Capture the decision Get from the user: - **The decision** in one sentence (what are we deciding between?) - **Stakes**: low / medium / high (how much does this matter?) - **Reversibility**: easy / hard / one-way door - **Deadline**: when does this need to be decided? Or "open"? - **Context** (optional, 1–3 sentences) If any are missing, ask. Don't proceed with vague framing. ## Step 2 — Triage the question set Read `references/questions.md` for the full set (the 37signals 38 + house additions, e.g. Q39 opportunity cost) and category mapping. Pick 6–8 based on the decision's characteristics: **Default 5 (always ask):** - Q1 — Does this decision actually need to be made? - Q2 — Is the right person making this decision? - Q8 — How easily can we reverse it? - Q9 — First instinct? (capture before "thinking" muddies it) - Q3 — A year from now, how will we feel about this? **Add based on type:** | If… | Add | |---|---| | Reversibility = hard / one-way door | Q14 (is there a wrong decision?), Q17 (knock-on effects), Q34 (principles bent) | | Time pressure | Q5 (why hesitating?), Q15 (different tomorrow?), Q22 (when do we have to decide?) | | Multiple people involved | Q21 (someone else's practice rep?), Q27 (would another opinion help?), Q35 (multiple people deciding what one should?) | | Lots of data / analysis | Q19 (what missing info would change it?), Q26 (data vs gut?), Q9 deepened | | Recurring decision | Q11 (last time?), Q23 (one-and-done or repeating?) | | Customer-facing | Q24 (anyone outside depending?), Q25 (customer vs us impact?) | | Money decision | Q38 (in the end, is this about money?), Q36 (return on effort?), Q39 (what does yes displace?) | | Big time / focus commitment | Q39 (opportunity cost), Q36 (return on effort?), Q20 (creates or eliminates work?) | | Stuck / not deciding | Q4 (why hasn't it been made already?), Q10 (what if we don't decide?), Q31 (do you even care?) | Cap at ~8 questions. More than that turns into analysis paralysis (which is itself one of the things this skill exists to prevent). Tell the user which questions you picked and why, then proceed. ## Step 3 — Walk through Ask the questions one at a time, or in a tight cluster if the user wants to write fast. Capture their answers verbatim — don't paraphrase into corporate-speak. For Q9 (first instinct), get the answer BEFORE diving into analysis. The point is to surface the gut call so we can later check if "analysis" was just rationalization. ## Step 4 — Reach a call Synthesize the answers into a decision. Options: - **Decide now** — answers point to a clear call - **Decide smaller** — break into 2–3 smaller decisions (Q7) - **Wait** — flag what info / time would change the answer (Q19, Q15) - **Don't decide** — the decision doesn't need to be made (Q1, Q10) - **Wrong person** — kick to the right decider (Q2, Q35) State the call clearly. No hedging. ## Step 5 — Set the revisit Pick a revisit date based on when consequences would show up: - Decisions about tools/processes: 30 days - Decisions about strategy/positioning: 90 days - Decisions about hires/partnerships: 90–180 days - Decisions about products/launches: 30–60 days post-launch Write what to look for on the revisit ("did MRR move? did the partner ship? do clients still ask for X?"). ## Step 6 — Archive Archives live in `${MAKERSKILLS_CONFIG:-$HOME/.config/makerskills}/decide/archive/` (create the directory if missing). Never write archives inside the skill's own folder — skill installs and upgrades re-sync from source and wipe anything saved there. **Migration:** if this skill's folder contains an old `references/decisions-archive/` with user entries, move those files into the archive directory before writing anything new. Write to `/-.md`: ```markdown # Decision: **Date:** YYYY-MM-DD **Decide by:** **Reversibility:** easy / hard / one-way door **Stakes:** low / medium / high ## Context <1–3 sentences> ## Questions ### ### (only questions actually applied — heading is the question text, not "Q3") ## Decision **** ## Rationale <2–3 sentences synthesizing the answers> ## Expected outcome > ## Revisit **** — ## Source Questions adapted from [The 37signals Guide to Making Decisions](https://37signals.com/how-we-make-decisions) ``` Append to `/INDEX.md` (create if missing): ```markdown - 2026-06-16 — [](./.md) — **** — — revisit 2026-09-16 ``` ## Step 7 — Surface Show the archive entry in chat. Tell the user the archive path. Offer: - *"Want me to schedule a /loop reminder for the revisit date?"* (would use the `loop` skill to fire at the right time) - *"Push to Notion as a decision card?"* - *"Need a follow-up decision after this one?"* ## Future enhancements - Auto-create a calendar event or cron reminder for the revisit (via `compound-engineering:schedule`) - Composable with `business-brainstorm` — brainstorm scores the idea on 9 dimensions; `decide` formalizes the go/no-go after - Grep past decisions for patterns ("show me decisions I made that were marked 'easy reverse' but didn't reverse") ## Composes with - `business-brainstorm` — brainstorm → decide is a natural pipeline for "should I build X" - `deep-research` — when a decision is waiting on info (Q19), trigger research first - Memory — load `feedback_*.md` for principles that might be at play (Q34) - `loop` / `compound-engineering:schedule` — for revisit reminders ## Notes on quality - **Don't ask all 38.** The point of triage is to skip questions that don't apply. Eight relevant questions > thirty-eight padded ones. - **Don't soften the call.** "Probably yes, lean toward, maybe should" wastes the skill. Pick. - **The first instinct (Q9) is sacred.** Always capture it before analysis. If the final call differs from the first instinct, the rationale needs to explain why — that's the whole point of the question. - **Archive every decision, even small ones.** The compounding value comes from being able to grep "what did I decide about pricing last year" — and that requires writing them down even when they feel obvious in the moment.