Meeting Minutes Example with Action Items: A Template

Taking accurate meeting minutes that clearly capture action items is a struggle for many professionals.

Luckily, there is a straightforward meeting minutes template that makes it easy to log action items for accountability and follow-through.

In this post, we will explore an example meeting minutes template with clear sections for tracking action items, decisions, and next steps after each agenda item.

Introduction to Meeting Minutes and Action Items

Taking comprehensive meeting minutes that clearly capture discussed topics, decisions, and action items is key to ensuring accountability and follow-through after meetings. However, crafting professional, easy-to-use meeting minutes can be a challenge.

That's why a simple yet effective meeting minutes template can provide the perfect foundation to effortlessly record key details. In this article, we'll explore an actionable meeting minutes template you can start using right away to boost productivity.

Let's dive in!

How do you write action items in meeting minutes?

You can write clear and actionable meeting action items using this simple template:

"[PERSON RESPONSIBLE] will [ACTION VERB] [SPECIFIC TASK] by [DEADLINE]."

For example:

John will contact the vendor to get pricing information by Friday.
Mary will update the project plan with latest timeline and send to team by Monday.

Here are some tips for writing good action items:

Identify the person responsible for completing each action item. Use their name.
Use strong action verbs that are specific like "contact", "update", "create", etc.
Describe the task they need to complete clearly and specifically.
Set a deadline date or timeline for task completion.

Following this meeting minutes action item template ensures everyone is accountable with clear deliverables and deadlines. This drives progress between meetings.

To track action items, maintain a running list in the meeting minutes doc. Capture status updates on progress in the next meeting's notes.

Good meeting minute action items are essential for accountability, alignment and moving projects forward efficiently.

What is the action list for meeting minutes?

Capturing clear, actionable next steps is crucial for productive meetings. Action items note what needs to happen after the meeting to move projects and goals forward.

Here are tips for writing effective action items in meeting minutes:

Summarize the discussion topic - Briefly note key details about what was discussed, such as the problem or project needs.
Decide on specific actions - Clearly define the exact steps that need to take place to address the topic. Make sure they are concrete and action-oriented.
Assign actions - Note who is responsible for carrying out each action item. Choose the best person suited for each task.
Set due dates - Include deadlines for when each action item should be completed to keep things on track.

Some best practices for action items include:

Use concise phrases starting with action verbs (e.g. "Provide cost analysis for Project X by Friday").
Limit each item to one specific task. Break up complex actions.
Prioritize critical, time-sensitive actions.
Follow up on action items in subsequent meetings.

Having detailed, accountable action lists drives meetings outcomes and ensures next steps don't slip through the cracks. A clear template like this example helps capture the right information.

What is an example of an action item?

An action item is a single, clearly defined task that must be done. For example, a personal action item could be to walk the dog or to call mom. While action items help you keep track of and complete the things you need to accomplish in your daily life, they have a bigger importance in the workplace.

In a business setting, action items are tasks that are assigned to team members during meetings. They are a way to ensure accountability and follow-through on important decisions and next steps discussed.

Here is an example of an action item from a meeting:

Action Item: John to reach out to 3 potential caterers for the company holiday party by Friday (12/10)

This action item clearly defines:

The task: Reach out to potential caterers
Who is responsible: John
By when: Friday, 12/10
Any key details: 3 potential caterers

By capturing action items like this in meeting minutes, it creates clarity around who owns what follow-up tasks from each meeting. This ensures decisions and next steps don't fall through the cracks.

Action items should always be:

Assigned to a specific person
Have a clear due date
Provide enough details on the actual task

This enables accountability and makes it easy for the assigned person to execute on the action item.

What is action taken in minutes of meeting?

Action minutes, also called decision-only minutes, capture only the key decisions made during a meeting and the actions that need to be taken as a result. They do not include any of the discussions leading up to the decisions.

Here are some tips for effectively capturing action items in meeting minutes:

Clearly separate the action items from the rest of the meeting summary. This makes them easy to identify and track.
Be specific about who is responsible for each action item. Avoid vague statements like "the team will..." and instead name the individual accountable.
Include deadlines for completing each action item. This creates accountability and ensures tasks don't slip through the cracks.
Use concise phrases starting with action verbs. For example:
John to send budget proposal to the client by Friday.
Mary to schedule a follow up meeting with the contractor for next week.
Categorize action items by project, priority level, or assignee to make them easier to manage and report on.
Circulate the minutes with action items soon after the meeting. This confirms agreements while the discussions are still fresh in attendees' minds.

Having a designated place to capture decisions and next steps is crucial for driving work forward after meetings. Action minutes templates help teams quickly agree on accountability, timeframes, and priorities.

Understanding the Fundamentals of Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes are formal documents that record the key details discussed during a meeting. They serve an important purpose in effective work management by capturing critical information for reference and ensuring follow-through on actions.

What are Meeting Minutes?

Meeting minutes provide a summary of the key points covered during a meeting. This includes:

Meeting objectives and agenda items
Names of attendees and invitees
High-level overview of the discussions, including key points raised
Decisions made and meeting outcomes
Action items with owners assigned and deadlines

By recording this information, minutes create an official reference document for participants to consult after the meeting.

The Purpose of Minutes in Effective Work Management

Well-documented meeting minutes serve several useful purposes:

Preserve Institutional Knowledge: By compiling an accurate record of past discussions and decisions, minutes allow organizations to retain knowledge over time, even when members leave.
Ensure Accountability and Follow-through: Tracking action items with owners and deadlines ensures tasks don't slip through the cracks. Minutes create accountability.
Onboard New Members: Minutes allow new team members to get up to speed on past discussions by referencing archives.
Settle Disputes: When disagreements about past decisions arise, the minutes provide an authoritative record to consult.

Key Elements of Professional Minutes of Meeting Format

Professional minutes should clearly summarize meeting objectives, discussions, outcomes and action items including:

Opening statement - Meeting name, date, location, start/end times, facilitator, and purpose statement
Attendees - List of members present and absent
Agenda - Outline of topics to be covered
Discussions - High-level overview of the key points raised
Decisions - Meeting resolutions, votes, and approvals
Action Items - Specific tasks assigned with owners and deadlines
Next Steps - Plans moving forward

Following this consistent structure allows readers to quickly parse the most vital information.

Simple Meeting Minutes Template with Action Items

Introducing a straightforward yet thorough meeting minutes template covering key details like agenda, discussions, decisions, and action items to ensure productivity.

Header Details for a Simple Meeting Minutes Example

The header should capture crucial meeting details like:

Meeting Title: Descriptive name summarizing discussion topic
Date & Time: When the meeting occurred
Location: Physical or virtual meeting venue
Facilitator: Person leading the meeting
Minute Taker: Person documenting the minutes
Attendees: List of participants present

Capturing this info upfront sets context.

Agenda Topics and Discussions

List agenda items and summarize key points on each topic:

Topic 1: Presenter Name - Quick summary of main points discussed
Topic 2: Presenter 2 - Concise overview of conversation
etc.

Keeping an agenda record gives structure.

Summarizing Decisions and Outcomes

Log any final decisions, plans, or outcomes:

Decision 1
Decision 2
etc.

Recording decisions provides clarity.

Tracking Action Items and Accountability

Capture action items with owners and deadlines:

Action Item 1: Owner Name - Due Date
Action Item 2: Owner Name - Due Date
etc.

Tracking actions ensures follow-through.

This simple yet comprehensive template allows teams to efficiently capture meeting minutes with all key details for reference, accountability, and productivity.

Creating Meeting Minutes with Action Items: A Step-by-Step Guide

Capturing action items is key to driving accountability and follow-through from meetings. This guide provides tips for creating professional meeting minutes that clearly log decisions and tasks.

Filling in Header Details for Meeting Notes

Start your meeting minutes template by noting key details:

Meeting title - State the meeting's purpose or topic
Date and time - List when it was held
Location - Share if it was in-person, virtual via Zoom/Teams etc.
Duration - Mention start and end times
Facilitator - Name the meeting lead
Minute-taker - State who recorded the notes
Attendees - List all participants present

This header context helps set the stage for the discussions that follow.

Listing Agenda Topics Clearly

Next, neatly log the agenda topics that were covered, mentioning:

Discussion subject
Presenter name

For example:

Q1 Sales Results - John
New Product Launch - Sarah

This enables readers to easily navigate to items of interest.

Summarizing Discussions Effectively

When noting what was discussed, be concise yet comprehensive.

Capture key points raised
Debates on problems or solutions
Any data, proposals, or research shared

Strike a balance between depth and brevity. Stick to pertinent details.

Logging Final Decisions

Accurately record any decisions made related to each agenda item.

Note if issues were resolved or need revisiting
Log approved plans and budget sanctions
List process changes enacted

This aids alignment and ensures takeaways are actioned.

Defining Action Items for Follow-Through

The most critical section - Action Items! For each task:

Describe the activity required
State owner name and role
Define a deadline for completion

This drives accountability and timely follow-through.

With this robust meeting minutes template, you can extract maximum value from discussions by capturing key details for reference and execution.

Best Practices for Meeting Minutes and Action Items

Effective meeting minutes are essential for driving accountability and alignment across teams. By clearly capturing discussions, decisions, and action items, minutes foster follow-through after meetings conclude.

Here are some best practices for preparing meeting minutes that get results:

Conciseness in Meeting Notes

When taking meeting notes, focus on brevity and clarity above all else. Avoid verbose descriptions and instead:

Summarize key points and decisions in 2-3 sentences
Highlight important quotes using bullet points
Bold key terms and deliverables for quick scanning

Succinct meeting notes distill need-to-know details so readers can consume information efficiently.

Capturing Actionable Details

Well-documented action items ensure tasks don't fall through the cracks after meetings. For each action item, clearly indicate:

Owner: Who is responsible for completing this task?
Deadline: When should it be completed by?
Priority: High, medium or low priority?
Status: Not started, in progress, completed, etc.

These details create accountability so action items are more likely to be completed on time.

Clarifying Next Steps and Action Items

At the end of each meeting, take 5 minutes to explicitly review:

Decisions made
Next steps for moving projects forward
Action items for each participant with owners and due dates

Verbalizing next steps rather than just documenting them boosts understanding of responsibilities so participants leave aligned.

Utilizing a Meeting Minutes and Action Items Template in Excel

Using a structured template in Excel streamlines capturing meeting details. Include columns for:

Discussion topics
Decisions
Action items
Owners
Deadlines
Status

With this ready-to-use framework, drafting minutes with action items becomes much simpler.

In summary, concise, actionable meeting minutes drive accountability across teams. Utilizing best practices around brevity, details, next step alignment and templates accelerates results.

Additional Resources for Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes Example with Action Items Free Resources

Here are some free resources that can help you get started with creating effective meeting minutes with clear action items:

MeetingKing's free meeting minutes template includes sections for agenda topics, discussions, decisions, action items, and more. Easy to customize.
Office.com's simple meeting minutes template is a no-frills Docs doc you can download. Focuses just on key details.
The Minutes.io free web app provides templates and tools for collaborating on meeting minutes in real-time.

Meeting Minutes Example with Action Items Doc Templates

If you prefer using Doc files, here are some handy templates to help structure your meeting minutes:

This informal minutes template has a simple format for capturing critical details.
For a more thorough, formal template, check out Minutes.io's free Doc download.
Template.net also shares a free Doc template with agenda, attendance list, and decision sections.

Project Management Tools for Meeting Minutes

These project management platforms can help you organize meeting minutes and track action items:

Asana's meeting-centric features allow collaborating on notes and managing follow-ups.
Trello's meeting minutes power-up helps capture notes and share meeting outcomes.
Monday.com offers a meeting minutes template with status indicators for action items.

Email Samples for Distributing Minutes of Meeting

Here are some best practices for emailing meeting minutes:

Summarize critical details and decisions in the subject line (e.g. "Main outcomes from today's client presentation meeting").
Include names of attendees and absent participants in the opening.
Use bullet points to highlight important discussion topics, decisions, and action items.
Close by requesting attendees review and confirm the minutes, noting any required revisions.
Attach or link to a separate document with the full minutes for reference.

Some example email text:

Attended: [List names]
Absent: [List names]

Key discussion points:

Bullet point details

Decisions made:

Bullet point details

Action items:

Bullet point owner and task

Please review and confirm these minutes by Friday. Let me know if any changes are needed.

Full minutes attached.

Conclusion: The Importance of Meeting Minutes and Action Items

Comprehensive meeting minutes with clearly defined action items are critical for enabling productivity, accountability, and seamless collaboration. Here are some key reasons why:

Ensure alignment and follow-through: Well-documented action items provide clarity on decisions made and next steps, ensuring all stakeholders are on the same page. This minimizes miscommunications and drives progress.
Improve accountability: Assigning action items to specific individuals makes them responsible for timely completion. This motivates people and keeps projects moving forward.
Enhance searchability: Meeting minutes stored in a central place can be easily searched to recall past discussions and decisions. This saves time over having to ask clarifying questions later.
Streamline onboarding: New team members can get up to speed faster by accessing historical meeting minutes. This accelerates training and ramp-up time.
Optimize management oversight: Managers can monitor action item completion rates to identify potential bottlenecks. This allows them to provide support proactively.

In summary, comprehensive meeting minutes with clearly captured action items lead to better productivity, accountability, alignment and ultimately faster results. Investing time in proper documentation pays dividends across teams and entire organizations.