What are the minutes?
In a meeting, minutes are considered to be recorded documentation that is utilized to update both the attendees and non-attendees regarding what took place during a meeting. They are usually recorded by a specific individual while the meeting is taking place. The reason why minutes are recorded while a meeting is in progress is to ensure everything being discussed is captured accurately.
Purpose of Minutes
Meeting minutes serves four main purposes:
Legal protection: Minutes present the actions and decisions of company leadership and therefore they are considered as legal documents that can back-up a claim in a court of law.
They drive action: Meeting minutes usually map out a plan by directing how an action is supposed to be taken not only by who but also how, when, and why.
A formal record of a meeting: The only way to prove a meeting actually took place is by producing meeting minutes. This is the only legally and formally recognized evidence that a meeting occurred.
Accountability tool: Since the minutes clearly show who is supposed to take a certain action, it can, therefore, be used to track progress and hold the responsible individual(s) accountable for outcomes.