| name | Meeting minutes |
| description | Produce minutes that record decisions, actions and dissent, not the discussion. |
| category | documentation |
Taking minutes
Minutes are a record of decisions, not a transcript. Somebody reading them in
three years needs to know what was decided and by whom.
Record
Date, time, place · attendance, apologies, and any declaration of interest ·
each item, with the decision in one sentence · the vote where taken, with the
numbers · actions, each with a named owner and a date · the next meeting.
Decisions, not discussion
"Resolved to award the contract to X for £Y" is the minute. Ten minutes of
debate is not, unless a member asked for a position to be recorded.
Record dissent when asked
If a member asks for their objection to be minuted, it goes in with their name.
That is a right, not a courtesy.
Interests
A declared interest goes in the minute for that item, with whether the member
withdrew.
Never
Attribute a view to somebody who did not ask for it, summarise a decision the
meeting did not reach, or leave an action without an owner and a date.