ops-meeting-minutes

Framework

IRON LAW: Every Meeting Must Produce Decisions + Action Items

If a meeting ends with no documented decisions and no action items with
owners and deadlines, the meeting was a waste of time. Capture these
DURING the meeting, not after. Minutes without action items are a diary.

Meeting Minutes Template

# Meeting: {Title}
Date: {YYYY-MM-DD} | Time: {HH:MM-HH:MM} | Location: {room/link}
Attendees: {names}
Absent: {names}
Facilitator: {name} | Note-taker: {name}

## Agenda
1. {topic 1} — {presenter} ({X min})
2. {topic 2} — {presenter} ({X min})
3. {topic 3} — {presenter} ({X min})

## Discussion Notes
### {Topic 1}
- {Key point discussed}
- {Different viewpoints raised}
- **DECISION**: {what was decided}

### {Topic 2}
- {Key point}
- **DECISION**: {what was decided} / **DEFERRED**: {to when/what condition}

## Action Items
| # | Action | Owner | Deadline | Status |
|---|--------|-------|----------|--------|
| 1 | {specific task} | {name} | {date} | Open |
| 2 | {specific task} | {name} | {date} | Open |

## Next Meeting
- Date: {next meeting date}
- Agenda items for next time: {carry-over items}

Action Item Format: WHO + WHAT + WHEN

Bad: "Follow up on the pricing issue" Good: "@Sarah to prepare pricing comparison table with 3 competitors by April 10"

Meeting Efficiency Tips

1. Agenda first: Distribute agenda 24+ hours before the meeting
2. Time-box: Assign time limits per topic. Use a visible timer.
3. Parking lot: Off-topic items go to a "parking lot" list for later — don't derail the meeting
4. Last 5 minutes: Reserve for summarizing decisions and action items
5. Distribute within 24 hours: Send minutes the same day or next morning while memory is fresh

AI Meeting Tools

Tool	Capability	Best For
Otter.ai	Transcription + summary	English meetings
Fireflies.ai	Transcription + action item extraction	Team meetings
Claude/GPT	Summarize transcript, extract decisions	Post-meeting processing
Notion AI	In-context meeting notes	Notion-based teams

Even with AI transcription, a human note-taker should capture DECISIONS and ACTION ITEMS in real-time. AI captures what was said; humans capture what was DECIDED.

Output Format

# Meeting Minutes: {Title} — {Date}

## Decisions Made
1. {decision + context}
2. {decision}

## Action Items
| # | Action | Owner | Deadline |
|---|--------|-------|----------|
| 1 | {task} | {name} | {date} |

## Key Discussion Points
- {summary of important discussion, not verbatim}

## Parking Lot (for future discussion)
- {deferred topic}

Gotchas

• Minutes ≠ transcript: Don't capture everything said. Capture: decisions, action items, key disagreements, and context needed to understand decisions later.
• Action items without deadlines don't get done: "ASAP" is not a deadline. Every action item needs a specific date.
• The note-taker has power: They decide what's recorded as a "decision." Assign this role intentionally.
• Follow up on action items: Minutes sent without follow-up are ignored. Review action item status at the START of the next meeting.
• Recurring meetings need structure: Weekly standups, monthly reviews, and quarterly planning each need different minute formats. One size doesn't fit all.

References

• For meeting facilitation techniques, see references/facilitation.md