Action items and decisions: template and example

An action list answers three questions after a meeting: who does what, by when, and what did we agree. It is the part of a meeting record people use most.

Guide · About 5 minutes to read

Good uses for an action list

• Project meetings, where tasks need to go into a task tracker or a shared sheet.
• Meetings with many people, where it is easy to leave thinking someone else took the task.
• Any meeting where a decision might be questioned later. Writing down who agreed settles it.

An action list does not tell the story of the meeting. If readers also need the context, send a summary with it, or write formal minutes.

Worked example

This is an invented meeting at an invented sports club. The names are made up.

Look at the first-aid row. Mei offered to ask around but did not take the task, so the owner is "not stated". That row is the one to raise at the next meeting. A list that guessed "Mei" would hide the gap.

Action list template

Copy this into a document or a spreadsheet. Keep one row per task.

[Team or project]: [meeting name], [date]

DECISIONS
| Decision | Who agreed |
|----------|------------|
| [What was decided, in one sentence] | [Names] |
| [Next decision] | [Names] |

ACTION ITEMS
| Task | Owner | Due | Proof from the transcript |
|------|-------|-----|---------------------------|
| [Start with a verb: Send, Book, Check, Draft] | [One name] | [Date, or "not stated"] | "[Short quote]" |
| [Next task] | [Name] | [Date] | "[Quote]" |

Writing tips

• Start every task with a verb. "Book the fields" is a task. "Fields" is a topic.
• Give each task one owner. "Marketing team" or "Tom and Lena" means nobody is sure. Pick one name, who can pull others in.
• Use a real date. "Friday 5 June" beats "end of the week" or "ASAP".
• Write "not stated" when nobody said it. Do not fill the gap with a guess. An empty owner is a question to ask, not a detail to invent.
• Keep the proof short. A quote of one sentence is enough to settle "Did I say that?".
• Separate decisions from tasks. "Fee stays at 20 dollars" is a decision. Nobody has to do anything about it.
• Share it within a day, and start the next meeting by going through the open rows.

Decision criteria

A decision is something the group agreed and will not revisit without a reason. Signs in a transcript: "So we're agreed", "Let's go with", "Final answer", or a clear yes from the person who owns the budget or the project. An idea that someone liked is not a decision. If you are not sure, write it under open issues in your minutes instead.

Related guides

• Follow-up email after a meeting
• Meeting minutes template
• Meeting summary

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