Meeting notes: decisions, actions and open questions

A week later, “poster Friday” is a mystery. Work through a fictional meeting, then copy a template that preserves what was agreed and what still needs an answer.

By Coru · Published 2026-10-25 · Updated 2026-10-25

What did “Friday” mean?

It is Monday again. Last week’s notes say: “Workshop. Ten? Poster Friday. Room B.” Was Friday the deadline or the event date? Who accepted the poster task? And why is there a question mark beside ten?

Can you take the next step without reconstructing the conversation? Try it with this fictional community collage workshop. The people, dates and dialogue are invented.

Eight lines, three kinds of information

The meeting takes place on 2 November 2026. Lina and Jules both confirm Maya’s final read-back below. Sort the dialogue into decisions, actions and open questions before reading the finished notes. An unaccepted proposal need not enter any category.

Maya: “Could we run two workshops, on 14 and 21 November?”
Jules: “Let’s start with one, on 14 November, 10:00–12:00. Ten places?”
Maya: “Agreed: one session, those hours, ten places. We open bookings only after the room is confirmed.”
Lina: “I’ll ask the centre manager about Room B and put their written answer, or ‘still pending’, in our shared notes by 4 November at 12:00.”
Jules: “I’ll put a draft invitation in the shared folder by 6 November at 17:00: date, hours, ten places, room marked unconfirmed and no booking link.”
Maya: “That gives me a draft to review. It is not permission to publish.”
Lina: “Room B is still an open question. The manager hasn’t replied.”
Maya: “To confirm: all dates are in 2026; all times are Europe/Paris, UTC+1 on these dates. Lina, 4 November at noon; Jules, 6 November at 17:00?”

Do not promote a possibility into a commitment

The final read-back makes the year and time zone explicit. Lina and Jules confirm that these are the deadlines they accepted.

The second workshop was proposed, never agreed. Ten places became a decision when Maya accepted it. Writing the invitation is an action Jules accepted. Room B remains an open question.

A decision can be settled while its associated actions remain open. Agreeing the invitation deadline does not mean the invitation is finished.

The finished notes

COMMUNITY COLLAGE WORKSHOP
Meeting: 2 November 2026
People: Maya, Jules, Lina
Times: Europe/Paris (UTC+1
  on the dates below)

DECISIONS
D1. One session: 14
  November 2026,
  10:00–12:00;
    ten places. A second
      session is not
      agreed.
D2. Open bookings only
  after the room is
  confirmed.
    The invitation is a
      draft for review, not
      publication.

ACTIONS — open
A1. Lina → room-status
  update in shared notes.
    Due: 4 November 2026,
      12:00 Europe/Paris.
    Done when: manager's
      written answer is
      included,
    or the update
      explicitly says
      “still pending”.
A2. Jules → invitation
  draft in shared folder.
    Due: 6 November 2026,
      17:00 Europe/Paris.
    Done when: draft
      includes date, hours,
      ten places,
    “room unconfirmed”, and
      no booking link.

OPEN QUESTION
Q1. Is Room B available for
  the agreed session?
    Lina asks the centre
      manager; update via
      A1.
    Blocks: opening
      bookings.
    If A1 reports “still
      pending”, Q1 stays
      open.

These are the notes at the end of the invented meeting. Neither action has been completed yet.

The deadline is for the action you control

Lina can promise to ask and report back, but cannot promise the manager’s answer. Her action produces a status update even if the room question remains unresolved. “A1 done” must not silently become “room confirmed”.

For each action, record a person, a deliverable, an absolute deadline with its time zone, and a visible completion criterion. If no owner or deadline has been agreed, write “unassigned” or “not agreed”; do not fill the gap yourself.

Copy this for your next meeting

MEETING / DATE:
PEOPLE:
TIME ZONE:

DECISIONS
- Agreed choice:
- Condition or limit:

ACTIONS
- Owner:
- Deliverable and where to
  find it:
- Due: [day month year,
  time, time zone]
- Done when: [observable
  result]
- Status: [open / done]

OPEN QUESTIONS
- Question:
- Who will seek the answer,
  and from whom:
- Next update: [date, time,
  time zone]
- What depends on the
  answer:

NEEDS CONFIRMATION
- Ambiguous wording /
  missing owner / missing
  deadline:
- Person to confirm it:

Keep only the fields your meeting needs. Copy the plain text into a shared document or message.

Close with a small read-back

Before people leave, read the decisions and action lines aloud. Ask: “Is this agreed, or still a suggestion?” and “What will be available by that time?” If the meeting has already ended, send the uncertain wording to the relevant person and mark it as awaiting confirmation.

One week later, the notes should let you ask “Where is the draft?” rather than “What did we mean by Friday?”