Glossary

This glossary defines the key terms used throughout Decisio. Understanding these concepts is essential for effective use of the platform.

A

Admin

A workspace role with permissions to manage members, create issues, configure voting, and record resolutions. Admins can do most governance tasks but cannot access billing settings. See Roles and Permissions.

Aye

A vote in favor of a motion. One of the standard submission choices in vote-based mechanisms.

Abstain

A submission choice indicating the participant declines to vote for or against a motion. Abstentions may or may not count toward quorum depending on configuration.

Archived

A status for issues or projects that have been moved to long-term storage. Archived items are preserved for reference but are no longer active.

C

Chair

In a "chair decides" mechanism, the designated person who makes the final decision. The chair reviews all input and records the outcome without a formal vote.

Chair Decides

A resolution type where a designated chair makes the final decision rather than tallying votes. Useful for advisory bodies or situations requiring executive judgment.

Choice

The selection a participant makes when submitting their response to a motion. Common choices include aye, nay, and abstain.

Closed

An issue status indicating it is no longer active. Closed issues preserve their history but do not accept new motions or votes.

Comment

A discussion message attached to an issue or motion. Comments support single-level threading (replies to root comments only).

Consensus

A resolution type requiring all participants to agree. If any participant disagrees, the motion does not pass.

D

Draft

An initial status for issues and motions that are being prepared but not yet active. Draft items can be edited freely before being opened or proposed.

E

Exhibit

Supporting material attached to an issue. Exhibits provide context and evidence for decision-making.

Exhibit types:

• Event: A meeting, deadline, or other scheduled occurrence

• File: An uploaded document (PDF, spreadsheet, etc.)

• Link: A URL to external content

• Media: Images, videos, or audio files

• Text: Written content entered directly

Exhibit statuses:

• Active: Currently visible and relevant

• Withdrawn: Removed from consideration but preserved in history

• Superseded: Replaced by a newer version

F

Failed

A motion outcome indicating the motion did not receive sufficient votes to pass.

I

Immutable

Cannot be changed after creation. Resolutions in Decisio are immutable to ensure audit integrity.

Invite Token

A unique identifier sent to participants that grants them access to a specific issue. Each participant receives their own token via email.

Issue

A container for a decision. An issue frames the question that needs to be answered and contains the motions, exhibits, and resolutions related to that decision.

Issue is not:

• A ticket (like in Jira or GitHub)

• A task (like in project management tools)

• A bug report

Issue statuses:

• Draft: Being prepared

• Open: Active for discussion and voting

• Resolved: Decision has been recorded

• Closed: No longer active

• Archived: In long-term storage

J

Justification

Optional text a participant provides explaining the reasoning behind their submission. Justifications are visible to other participants after they vote.

M

Majority

A vote threshold requiring more than 50% of votes to pass a motion.

Mechanism

The configuration that defines how a motion will be decided. Each motion has exactly one mechanism.

Mechanism settings:

• Resolution type: Vote, consensus, or chair decides

• Vote threshold: Majority, supermajority, or unanimous

• Quorum required: Minimum participation needed

• Quorum type: Count or percentage

• Requires seconding: Whether a second is needed before voting

Member

A workspace role with basic participation rights. Members can view issues, add exhibits (if permitted), propose motions (if permitted), and vote when invited as participants. See Roles and Permissions.

Motion

A formal proposal to resolve an issue. Motions are the specific answers to the question an issue raises.

Motion statuses:

• Draft: Being prepared by the proposer

• Proposed: Submitted, awaiting second (if required)

• Seconded: Received a second, ready for voting

• Open: Currently accepting votes

• Resolved: Voting complete, outcome determined

• Withdrawn: Removed by the proposer

Motion outcomes:

• Passed: The motion was approved

• Failed: The motion was rejected

• Withdrawn: The proposer withdrew it

N

Nay

A vote against a motion. One of the standard submission choices in vote-based mechanisms.

O

Open

A status indicating active participation is possible. An open issue accepts motions and votes. An open motion accepts submissions.

Outcome

The result of a motion after voting completes. Possible outcomes are passed, failed, or withdrawn.

Owner

The highest-level workspace role. Owners have full control including access to billing settings and the ability to delete the workspace. See Roles and Permissions.

P

Participant

An external stakeholder invited to vote on a specific issue. Participants do not need a Decisio account and can only access issues they are invited to.

Key characteristics:

• Identified by email address

• Access via unique invite token

• Can vote and comment on invited issues only

• Cannot see other workspace activity

Passed

A motion outcome indicating the motion received sufficient votes to be approved.

Percentage (Quorum Type)

A quorum setting that requires a fraction of eligible participants to submit. For example, 75% quorum means three-quarters of invited participants must vote.

Project

A container that groups related issues within a workspace. Projects can be public (visible to all workspace members) or private (visible only to project members and admins).

Proposed

A motion status indicating it has been submitted but is awaiting a second (if seconding is required) or is ready for an admin to open voting.

Q

Quorum

The minimum participation required for a vote to be valid. Quorum can be defined as a count (e.g., 5 participants) or a percentage (e.g., 75% of invited participants).

Quorum Type

How quorum is calculated: by count (specific number) or by percentage (fraction of eligible participants).

R

Resolution

The formal, immutable record of a decision. A resolution captures what was decided, which motions passed or failed, and any supporting documentation.

Resolution properties:

• Summary: Human-readable description of the decision

• Motions: The motions included with their outcomes

• Exhibits: Supporting documents linked to the resolution

• Recorded by: The admin who created it

• Timestamp: When it was recorded

Resolution statuses:

• Active: The current authoritative record

• Voided: Invalidated (rare, for procedural errors)

• Superseded: Replaced by a newer resolution

Resolution Type

The method used to reach a decision: vote, consensus, or chair decides.

Resolved

A status indicating a decision has been made. A resolved issue has at least one resolution. A resolved motion has a determined outcome.

S

Seconded

A motion status indicating another participant has formally supported it. Seconding is required in some governance frameworks to ensure at least two people support proceeding.

Seconding

The act of formally supporting a proposed motion. When seconding is enabled, motions require a second before voting can open.

Submission

A participant's response to a motion. Submissions include a choice (aye/nay/abstain) and optional justification.

Supersede

To replace a previous resolution with a new one. The original resolution remains in the system with "superseded" status, preserving the audit trail.

Supermajority

A vote threshold requiring a specified percentage greater than simple majority. Common supermajority thresholds are 66% (two-thirds) or 75% (three-quarters).

T

Threshold

The percentage of votes required to pass a motion. Options are majority (>50%), supermajority (typically 66% or 75%), or unanimous (100%).

Transparent Voting

Decisio's voting model where votes are visible to other participants after they have submitted their own vote. This prevents groupthink while maintaining accountability.

U

Unanimous

A vote threshold requiring 100% agreement to pass a motion.

V

Vote

A resolution type where participants submit choices that are tallied to determine the outcome. The most common resolution type.

Voided

A resolution status indicating it has been invalidated due to procedural error or other exceptional circumstances. Voiding is rare and preserves the record while marking it as invalid.

W

Withdrawn

A motion status or outcome indicating the proposer has removed it from consideration. Withdrawn motions are preserved in history but do not affect the issue outcome.

Workspace

The top-level organizational container in Decisio. A workspace contains projects, issues, members, and all associated decision records.

Key characteristics:

• Has a subscription/billing relationship

• Contains one or more projects

• Has members with defined roles (owner, admin, member)

Workspace Member

A user who belongs to a workspace with a defined role. Distinct from participants, who access specific issues via invite.

Related

• Understanding Decision Governance - The philosophy behind these concepts

• The Decision Lifecycle - How these entities relate in practice

• Roles and Permissions - What each role can do