Q: What does the change in status from "With Editor" to “Decision in progress" mean for an Elsevier journal?

Once a manuscript is submitted to a journal, the status on the system is generally “Submitted to journal” till the time it is assigned to an editor. Once it is sent to an editor, the status changes to "With Editor." The editor reviews the manuscript and decides if the manuscript is to be sent for a peer review or be rejected without review. If it is sent for peer review, the status changes to "Reviewers assigned" or "Under review." However, if the editor feels that a manuscript does not match the scope or standards required by the journal, it is rejected without review and the status changes to "Decision in process" from "With Editor."

Unfortunately, it seems that this is what has happened with your paper. From the status changes, it seems that it is probably going to be desk rejected or rejected without review. 

However, don’t be upset. Rejection is a natural part of the journal publication process. In fact, get ready to submit your paper to another journal and this time, make sure that you choose a journal that is well-matched with your paper in terms of scope, target audience, etc.

Related reading:

• What does a change from "With Editor" to "Decision in process" mean?

• What does a status change from "Editor invited" to "Decision in process" indicate?

• Does a direct 'Decision in Process' status indicate rejection?