Minutes of the Board Meeting

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Minutes of the board meeting are a critical document of crucial information and governance procedures. They can be used as an evidence-based basis for post-decision reviews and to ensure that boards are accountable. They can also prevent the board from taking shortcuts in the future, which could be detrimental to the organisation’s stakeholders.

Minutes are usually written by a board member who is the chairman or someone from the organisation’s staff. It could be a scribe who has prior experience in the writing of board minutes or a professional secretary who is knowledgeable about what should and shouldn’t be included in minutes. Whatever the person who writes the draft minutes, it’s crucial to establish clear expectations regarding what you expect from them, so that they are able to produce standout notes that will make the meetings of the board credible.

It is crucial to include the date, time and the location of the meeting in the minutes. The next thing to do is create an outline of the presiding officers, directors and nonvoting attendees. You should also note if any of the attendees attended via phone or online.

The minutes should be separated into two sections: administrative business and substantive business. Administrative business includes things like agenda approvals, a summary of previous minutes, or the use of consent agendas (which reduces the need for debate by acknowledging items that are repeated with a single motion). Substantive business consists of more content-rich items such as updates from committees, risk management briefings and decisions on new service initiatives.