discussionspecifying

Discussionspecifying is a collaborative practice in which participants actively document and clarify the decisions, requirements, and scope that arise during a discussion. It combines elements of discussion facilitation, requirement specification, and decision logging, with the aim of producing a concrete, auditable record of what was decided and what remains open.

The term is a neologism formed from discussion and specifying. It is used in fields like software development, project management, and policy drafting to reduce ambiguity and improve traceability by capturing outcomes as they emerge rather than later retrofitting them into documents.

Core features include explicit statements of decisions, defined acceptance criteria, identified risks and constraints, assigned owners, deadlines or milestones, and references to related artifacts. A discussion log or decision log often accompanies the record.

Process outline: before a discussion, establish goals; during discussion, summarize decisions and action items in real time; after, formalize the notes into a concise specification with clear scope, criteria, and owners; store in a central repository and link to relevant documents. Iterative discussions update the specification as needed.

Benefits include improved alignment, easier review, and better accountability; challenges include potential overhead and the need for disciplined note-taking. Solutions include lightweight templates, minimal viable precision, and integration with project management tools.

See also: meeting minutes, requirement specification, decision log.