How to read the decision log and check a track record

The decision log is where every recorded decision is read back, part of What are decisions and track records?. Open Brain › Decisions: the page has two tabs, Decision log and Track record.

Before you start

Reading the log needs the View decisions row on Settings › Permissions. The Track record tab needs View purchase orders and the buying calendar. Both start at lead; see How to set who can do what.

Brain › Decisions appears in the menu while the Decisions module is on in Settings › Modules.

What is in the log?

A table with the newest decision first, in five columns: Decision, Affects, Who, When and Verdict. Under each decision sits the start of its Why.

Affects shows a chip for each record the decision was recorded against. Click a chip to open that purchase order, supplier, task, wholesale account or wholesale order. A chip for a record you cannot open reads "a record".

Verdict shows the result of an outcome attached to the decision, such as Target met, or "No outcome" when none is attached. See How to commit to an outcome and have it measured.

How do you find something?

Click the Decision, Who or When heading to sort by it. Drag any column heading to put the columns in the order you want; Tideswell keeps that order for you.

The filters above the table:

• Search affected record… matches the names on the Affects chips.
• Everyone: pick a person to see only the decisions they recorded.
• From and To set a date range.
• Any verdict narrows to No outcome, Pending, Target met, Target missed, Measured (no target), Unmeasurable or Cancelled.

When your workspace has a long history, a line above the table reads "Showing the 200 most recent decisions." Set From and To to see further back.

Which searches are worth knowing?

By affected record, to answer "what have we decided about this supplier". Type "Portside" into Search affected record… just before a call with Portside Mills.

By date range, to reconstruct a season. Filtering to last spring gives you the reasoning behind a whole buying cycle on one screen.

By verdict, to see everything that missed. Choose Target missed and read the reasons.

What is on the Track record tab?

Every purchase order commitment whose window has closed, grouped three ways. Choose Supplier, Person or Team at the top. Commitments still pending, or cancelled, are not counted.

The columns are Closed, Met, Missed, Couldn't measure and Hit rate. Each row is one group:

• Supplier is the vendor on the purchase order, or "Unknown supplier" when the order has none.
• Person is whoever committed to the outcome, or "Not attributed" when that is unknown.
• Team is that person's departments, or "No team". Someone in two departments counts in both, and the screen says so.

Every closed commitment counts, whether or not a decision is attached to it. Until the first one closes, the tab reads "No outcomes have closed yet."

How should you read a hit rate?

Hit rate is Met divided by Met plus Missed. Closed also counts commitments that could not be measured and ones measured with no target, but neither enters the rate.

A dash rather than 0% means nothing in that row could be judged against a target. That is a statement about your records, not about the decisions.

Read the rate with the count beside it. A hit rate over four closed commitments tells you almost nothing; over forty it is a signal most brands have never had.

What is this actually for?

Three uses, in rising order of value.

Answering "why is this like this". Somebody finds an odd payment term or an unusual supplier, and the log says why.

Preparing for a conversation. Every decision about one supplier, with what was rejected, before you talk to them.

Learning what your business is good at. Filter to Target missed across a year and read the reasons. That is the closest thing to a post-mortem most brands ever run.

Can you ask instead of reading?

Yes. Ask the Agent what was decided, why, what was rejected and what was measured. It needs View decisions to answer.

It reports decision and outcome side by side, without claiming one caused the other. See How to ask about stock, suppliers and marketing.

Why is the log empty?

Because nothing has been recorded yet. The empty log reads "No decisions recorded yet.", and a decision shows up here as soon as you save it.

With a date range set, it reads "No decisions in this date range." instead. Clear From and To to see everything. To record your first one, see How to record a decision.