Minutes of the board meeting are an important document of crucial information and governance procedures. When they are well-planned and endorsed they form the basis for post-decision https://www.aboutboardroom.com/what-is-meeting-management-softwar reviews and help boards to hold themselves accountable to their agreed decision-making processes. They also can help stop the board from making a mistake in the future, which could prove problematic for the company’s stakeholders.

Minutes are usually drafted by a member of the board who is the presiding officer or a member of the organization’s staff. This could be a scribe who has prior experience writing board minutes or a professional secretary who is well-versed in the information that should not be included. Regardless of who prepares the draft minutes, it’s vital to establish clear expectations on what’s expected of them, so that they are able to create standout notes that give the board’s meetings credibility.

The first thing required is a description of the time, date and location of the board meeting because this is crucial to the accuracy of minutes. The next is an outline of the presiding officers, directors and nonvoting attendees. It is also important to note if any of the attendees attended via phone or via the internet.

The minutes should be split into two sections: administrative business and substantive business. Administrative business comprises things like agenda approvals, a recap of previous minutes, or the use of consent agendas (which reduces debate by acknowledging recurring items in one motion). Substantive business is more content-heavy items such as updates from committees, risk management briefings, and decisions on new service initiatives.