Decision drift: when what got built isn't what was decided
Decision drift is the gap that opens between a decision as agreed and the work as executed — what shipped quietly diverged from what was decided.
It starts with a decision made on a call and never written down. By the time the work lands, four people remember the decision four ways, and what got built matches none of them.
Why do decisions drift?
Most decisions are made in conversation and stored in memory. Memory edits itself: people remember the version that suits their work, the caveats fall away, and the decision quietly mutates with each retelling.
Without a single written record anchored to the moment it was made, there's nothing to drift against — so the drift is undetectable until the built thing contradicts what someone thought was agreed.
How do you prevent decision drift?
Anchor each decision to a verifiable record at the moment it's made, and check what gets built against it. The goal isn't more documentation for its own sake — it's one source of truth the work can be measured against.
Frequently asked
How is decision drift different from changing your mind?
Changing your mind is a new, explicit decision. Decision drift is unintentional — the original decision erodes or gets reinterpreted without anyone deciding to change it.
Stop being the reality check.
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