Not Mere Minutes

 I was talking to a distant relative the other day who has been working from home for more than 2 years - and loves it.  He told me about the various co-ordination meetings he had to make sure he was up-to-date in relation to his various projects.

I asked him how his firm managed the process of minute-taking and distribution and he looked at me blankly.  We all take our own notes, he said.

My experience tells me that whatever is recorded may be formal minutes or informal notes but there must be one ‘master copy’ which as a minimum includes actions agreed, due dates and those responsible.

Without this shared information, it is impossible for people to keep on the same page and coordinate their information and activity.

If this relative’s company does not maintain a master note, I am sure they will fail somewhere in the coordination process and I am convinced the productivity of all the various teams will suffer.

Some elements of productivity are obvious and simple.  Omit them at your peril.