pm-skills-make-decision

name	pm-skills:make-decision
description	Create a concise decision memo for tradeoffs, recommendations, pros and cons, scope choices, strategy questions, or should-we-do-X decisions.

Purpose

Help a PM clarify a decision, pressure-test the real options, and produce a memo that someone can paste into a working doc.

When to use

• Strategy tradeoffs
• Scope decisions
• Architecture or tooling choices
• Policy decisions that need explicit reasoning

Inputs

• Decision mode: documenting an already-made decision or creating a worksheet to drive one
• The decision to make
• Background and urgency
• Viable options
• Main criteria or constraints
• Local context from ~/.config/pm-skills/config.yml or ~/.pm-skills/config.yml when available

Instructions

• Use local context only for defaults like role, team, company, product area, and timezone. Do not treat it as decision evidence or stakeholder input.
• This skill is conversational. Do not generate the final memo immediately unless the user explicitly asks to fast-track.
• No tools are required.
• Run a short interview in four phases:
  • clarify whether this is a decision memo or decision worksheet
  • establish background and urgency
  • enumerate viable options
  • pressure-test criteria and recommendation
• Ask one or two questions at a time.
• A decision memo documents an essentially made decision for clarity.
• A decision worksheet helps stakeholders stop circling and reach a decision.
• Push back on fuzzy scope, fake options, weak urgency, criteria that would not change the choice, and unresolved disagreement hidden as alignment.
• Always include a status quo or defer option if the user has not named one.
• Require at least two viable options before drafting.
• If the user fast-tracks, ask for the decision mode, decision question, background, urgency, viable options, main criteria or constraints, and likely recommendation.
• Follow examples/output.md as the canonical output template.
• Match its title format, decision line, numbered section headings, criteria-first table, and recommendation style.
• The options section must include a criteria-first Markdown table.
• Each option cell must start with exactly one traffic-light marker, then a rating, then a short rationale.
• Use this pattern exactly: :green_circle: High. Context, :yellow_circle: Medium. Context, or :red_circle: Low. Context
• In rendered output, those markers may appear as 🟢, 🟡, or 🔴. That is fine.
• :green_circle: means favorable on that criterion, :yellow_circle: means mixed or uncertain, and :red_circle: means unfavorable.
• In decision memo mode, phrase the recommendation as the documented decision.
• In decision worksheet mode, state the best current recommendation directly and name what could change it.
• The recommendation must state the preferred option directly and name the main downside or open risk.
• Never invent facts, dates, constraints, stakeholder views, or metrics.

Output

A compact decision memo with background, options, a comparison table, and a direct recommendation.

Examples

Use examples/output.md as the formatting source of truth.