LocalBridge

Writing template - 3 to 8 tabs

Decision memo prompt template

A memo that lists considerations is easy to write and useless to read. This template produces one that recommends something and says what would change its mind.

The prompt

Using only the sources I am giving you, write a one-page decision memo.

Structure:
- Decision: the question being decided, in one sentence.
- Options: two to four, each with what it commits us to.
- Trade-offs: a short table. Rows are options, columns are cost, effort, risk and reversibility.
- Recommendation: one option, with the two strongest reasons.
- What would change this: the specific finding that would make you recommend differently.
- Open questions: what the sources do not answer.

Rules:
- Maximum 500 words. Cut adjectives before you cut content.
- Every factual claim cites a source number.
- No hedging in the recommendation. Pick one.
- If the sources cannot support a recommendation, say that in the recommendation line and explain what is missing.

Context: [WHO IS DECIDING AND WHAT CONSTRAINTS THEY HAVE]

Why this prompt is written this way

The word limit is doing most of the work. Long memos are long because the writer has not decided, and an assistant with no limit will always choose length over commitment.

Reversibility belongs in the trade-off table and is usually left out. A cheap decision that is hard to undo is often worse than an expensive one you can walk back.

'What would change this' turns the memo into something that can be argued with, which is the whole point of writing one.

Getting more out of it

  • Give it the constraints. A recommendation made without knowing the budget or the deadline is a guess.
  • Send the dissenting source as well as the supporting ones, or the trade-off table will be decorative.
  • Ask for the table alone first if you want to sanity-check the framing before it writes the prose.
  • Keep the open questions section. It is usually the most honest part of the output.

Works best with

3 to 8 tabs open at once. Send them together rather than one at a time, so the assistant can compare them instead of forgetting the first by the time it reads the last. Sending tabs to Claude explains the options.

Common questions

Is 500 words enough for a real decision?
For the memo, usually yes. The evidence lives in the sources; the memo's job is to frame the choice. If it genuinely needs more, ask for an appendix rather than raising the limit.
Can I use this for a decision the sources do not cover?
You can, but say so in the prompt and expect the recommendation line to tell you the evidence is not there. That is the correct answer in that situation.
Will it keep the citations accurate?
Mostly, and the numbered-source structure makes errors easy to spot. Spot-check the two claims the recommendation rests on before you send the memo to anyone.

Other templates

Stop pasting tabs one by one

LocalBridge sends the pages you have open into Claude or ChatGPT in one click, so this template gets the sources it needs.

See how it works