decision-questionnaire

Interview the sender about the recipient's role and the specific outcomes needed, then write a Markdown document with context, themed question groups, and answer stubs. Order questions most-important-first since async recipients may only complete one pass.

Markdown works well because it renders in any editor, supports answer stubs beneath each question, and groups cleanly under headings. Include a purpose statement, context paragraph, deadline, and a closing catch-all question for unanticipated input.

Use a questionnaire when the recipient holds knowledge you lack and can respond on their own schedule. Use a meeting instead when answers require real-time negotiation, brainstorming, or consensus-building among multiple stakeholders.

Compound questions force recipients to parse multiple intents and often produce partial answers. Splitting each question into a single idea ensures every item gets a direct response and makes follow-up clarification unnecessary.

No. If the answer is discoverable from the codebase, docs, or web, find it yourself first. Questionnaires are designed for extracting knowledge held by a specific person that cannot be retrieved from any other source.