decision-frameworks
Structured decision-making patterns for common engineering choices — library selection, architecture, build vs buy, prioritization, reversibility analysis, and ADRs. Use when choosing between tools, architectures, or approaches, or when documenting technical decisions.
Why use this skill?
Optimize technical choices using OpenClaw's decision-frameworks skill. Use weighted matrices and ADR templates for build-vs-buy and architecture selections.
Install via CLI (Recommended)
clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/wpank/decision-frameworksWhat This Skill Does
The decision-frameworks skill is an essential companion for engineering leads, software architects, and individual contributors who need to move from subjective debate to objective, documented reality. This skill provides a suite of systematic templates and mental models designed to de-risk complex choices. It helps you navigate the "analysis paralysis" that often occurs when selecting new technology stacks or deciding whether to build a custom solution in-house versus purchasing an existing SaaS or library. By applying weighted decision matrices, build-vs-buy logic trees, and Architectural Decision Record (ADR) formats, this skill ensures your team has a clear, verifiable audit trail for why specific paths were chosen, significantly reducing technical debt and misalignment.
Installation
OpenClaw users can quickly integrate these frameworks into their workspace by running the following command in their terminal:
npx clawhub@latest install decision-frameworks
Use Cases
- Selecting the right database technology based on current project constraints.
- Evaluating open-source libraries for mission-critical components.
- Deciding whether to build a custom internal tool or license a third-party product.
- Standardizing how the team documents architectural changes to ensure long-term knowledge retention.
- Prioritizing complex technical backlogs where stakeholder needs conflict.
Example Prompts
- "OpenClaw, help me choose between PostgreSQL and MongoDB for our new user-profile microservice. Please create a weighted decision matrix using performance, scalability, and developer experience as criteria."
- "We are considering building our own authentication service versus using Auth0. Walk me through the build-vs-buy decision tree and highlight the trade-offs regarding long-term maintenance and security."
- "Draft an ADR for our decision to switch from Redux to Zustand for our React state management. Include the context, the alternative options considered, and the expected consequences."
Tips & Limitations
- Sanity check results: Always remember that a decision matrix is a tool to clarify your thinking, not an absolute arbiter. If the "winning" option feels wrong, examine the weightings you assigned to each criterion.
- Keep ADRs concise: Architectural Decision Records are most useful when they focus on the 'why' rather than just the 'how'. Use this skill to document intent so developers six months from now understand the context of your choices.
- Collaborate early: Share the output of these frameworks with stakeholders to gain early buy-in and surface hidden concerns before code is written.
Metadata
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Find the right skillPaste this into your clawhub.json to enable this plugin.
{
"plugins": {
"official-wpank-decision-frameworks": {
"enabled": true,
"auto_update": true
}
}
}Tags(AI)
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