Filled example: 45-minute team meeting agenda
A fictional customer support team, Tuesday 13 October 2026, 10:00 to 10:45. Every item is a question with one type. The three fixed parts open and close the meeting. The minutes add up to 45.
| # | Start | Min | Item as a question or outcome | Type | Owner | Preparation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10:00 | 5 | Open: what will we have when we leave, and which actions are done? | Fixed | Team lead | Update the status of your actions in the list before 10:00. |
| 2 | 10:05 | 3 | What changed in the refund policy on 12 October, and what do agents do differently? | Inform | Quality coach | Read the one-page summary (3 minutes). |
| 3 | 10:08 | 3 | What did the September quality review find? Three findings; questions only. | Inform | Quality coach | Read the three findings in the shared document. |
| 4 | 10:11 | 12 | Why did first replies to weekend tickets take longer in September, and what could we try? | Discuss | Senior agent | Look at the weekend figures sent on Friday 9 October. |
| 5 | 10:23 | 14 | Which of the two rota options do we use for 24 December to 2 January? | Decide | Rota planner | Read options A and B. Send objections in writing by Monday 12 October. The team lead decides after hearing the team. |
| 6 | 10:37 | 5 | Read back: decisions, actions, owners and dates | Fixed | Note-taker | Decision log and action list on screen. |
| 7 | 10:42 | 3 | End-of-meeting check: four questions | Fixed | Team lead | None. |
Blank meeting agenda
Copy this table into a document and add rows for your items. Type is inform, discuss or decide. In the Excel agenda the start and end times calculate from the start time and the minutes.
| # | Start | Min | Item as a question or outcome | Type | Owner | Preparation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open: what will we have when we leave, and which actions are done? | Fixed | ||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | Read back: decisions, actions, owners and dates | Fixed | ||||
| 6 | End-of-meeting check: four questions | Fixed |
How to close each type of item
An item is closed when the group has heard these words and the note-taker has written the record. Replace the square brackets with your own words.
| Type of item | What the group does | Words to close it | What you record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inform | Reads beforehand. Asks the questions that change what people will do. | “Noted. Does anyone need to pass this on, and to whom?” | Nothing, or one action to pass it on |
| Discuss | Gives views, in writing first. Does not decide. | “We are not deciding this today. The next step is: [name] does [what] by [date]. [Name], do you accept that?” | One action with an owner and a date |
| Decide | Hears the proposal, asks questions and raises objections. The named decider decides. | “The decision is: [one sentence]. The reason is: [one line]. We tell [who]. We look at it again on [date].” | One row in the decision log, and the actions that follow |
| Decide, but not ready | Names what is missing. | “We cannot decide today because we lack [what]. [Name] gets it by [date], and the item returns on [date].” | One action. The item goes on the next agenda |
| No outcome | The owner says what they need. | “What do you need from us: to know, to give views or to decide?” With no answer: “Then we take it off today’s agenda. Please rewrite it as a question, or send it as a written update.” | Nothing, or a rewritten item on the next list |
| New topic during the meeting | One person raises it. Nobody answers it yet. | “That is not on today’s agenda. Can it wait seven days? If yes, [name] adds it to next week’s list. If no, who stays for five minutes afterwards?” | A new item on the next list |
Filled example: decision log
Fictional. Each decision has one reason line, the people to tell and a date to look at it again. A decision that needs no review gets a dash.
| # | Decision | Decided by | Date | Reason in one line | Who must be told | Review date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | The quality coach reviews every new refund macro before it is published. | Team lead, after hearing the team | Tue 6 Oct | Two macros quoted the old 14-day limit. | Knowledge-base editor, all agents | Tue 3 Nov |
| D2 | Holiday rota for 24 December to 2 January: option B, two half-teams that alternate. | Team lead; no reasoned objection | Tue 13 Oct | With B every agent has four days off in a row; with A two agents had none. | All agents, workforce planning, the sales team | Tue 15 Dec |
| D3 | Drop action A4, the shared glossary of product terms. | Team lead and the action owner | Tue 13 Oct | The knowledge base gained a glossary page on 8 October. | All agents | — |
Filled example: action list
Fictional, as the list stood at the end of the meeting on Tuesday 13 October: eight actions, five open, two done, one dropped. A3 is one day overdue, and three open actions are due within seven days.
| # | Action (starts with a verb) | Owner (said yes) | Due | From item | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Publish the three reviewed refund macros | Knowledge-base editor | Fri 9 Oct | 6 Oct, item 3 | Done |
| A2 | Ask workforce planning for the September weekend figures | Senior agent | Thu 8 Oct | 6 Oct, item 4 | Done |
| A3 | Update the escalation contact list | Team lead | Mon 12 Oct | 6 Oct, item 5 | Open |
| A4 | Draft a shared glossary of product terms | Knowledge-base editor | Fri 16 Oct | 6 Oct, item 2 | Dropped |
| A5 | Walk the two absent agents through the refund change | Quality coach | Wed 14 Oct | 13 Oct, item 2 | Open |
| A6 | Write a one-page proposal for a Sunday triage shift (decide item, 20 Oct) | Senior agent | Mon 19 Oct | 13 Oct, item 4 | Open |
| A7 | Publish the holiday rota; tell workforce planning and the sales team | Rota planner | Fri 16 Oct | 13 Oct, item 5 | Open |
| A8 | Collect swap requests for the holiday rota | Rota planner | Fri 30 Oct | 13 Oct, item 5 | Open |
Scale the agenda to 30, 45 or 60 minutes
Planning estimates, not rules. This kit uses the 45-minute column. Keep the three fixed parts at every length and shorten the items between them.
| Part of the meeting | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | Planning note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open: outcomes and open actions | 3 | 5 | 5 | One word for each open action |
| Inform items | 4 | 6 | 8 | About three minutes each |
| Discuss items | 8 | 12 | 17 | One item; two short ones at 60 |
| Decide items | 10 | 14 | 20 | One decision; two small ones at 60 |
| Read back decisions and actions | 3 | 5 | 6 | Each owner says yes |
| End-of-meeting check | 2 | 3 | 4 | Four questions |
| Total | 30 | 45 | 60 | If it does not fit, move an item |
Rewrite a topic as a question or an outcome
A topic names a subject. A question says what the group must produce. Fictional examples.
| Topic as it is often written | Rewritten for the agenda | Type |
|---|---|---|
| “Holiday rota” | Which of the two rota options do we use for 24 December to 2 January? | Decide |
| “Refund policy” | What changed in the refund policy on 12 October, and what do agents do differently? | Inform |
| “Weekend tickets” | Why did first replies to weekend tickets take longer in September, and what could we try? | Discuss |
| “Updates”, or a round of status reports | Written updates in the shared document by the day before. In the meeting: which update needs a question answered? | Inform |
| “Training budget” | Outcome: a ranked list of three courses to propose to the department head. | Discuss |
| “Any other business” | No open slot. A new topic goes on next week’s list, unless it cannot wait seven days. | None |
Filled example: end-of-meeting check
Four questions for the last three minutes. Five of the seven team members were present; three wrote a reply to question 4 and two passed.
| Question | What the fictional team answered on 13 October |
|---|---|
| 1. Did every item close with a decision, a named next step or “noted”? | Yes, 4 of 4. Two inform items were noted, the discuss item has a next step (A6) and the decide item has a decision (D2). |
| 2. Does every action have one owner who said yes, and a due date? | Yes for the four new actions. A3 from last week is one day overdue; the team lead finishes it today. |
| 3. Who tells the people who were not here, and by when? | The note-taker posts the decision log and the action list in the team channel by 12:00. The quality coach talks to the two absent agents by Wednesday (A5). |
| 4. What is one thing to keep and one thing to change next time? | Keep: the two rota options were sent before the meeting. Change: ask for written objections two working days before, not one. |
Filled example: meeting check log
Fictional. Closed means closed with a decision, a next step or “noted”. Items are counted without the three fixed parts. Over the two meetings the team closed 8 of 9 items, which is 89%. The Excel log calculates the carried items, the share closed and the minutes over or under.
| Meeting | Items planned | Closed | Carried over | Minutes planned | Minutes used | One change for next time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 6 Oct | 5 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 50 | Give every item a type. Move the round of updates into writing. |
| Tue 13 Oct | 4 | 4 | 0 | 45 | 45 | Ask for written objections two working days before. |
What you'll leave with
In 45 minutes the team closes every agenda item with a decision, a named next step or a clear “noted”. Each decision is in the log with its reason, the people to tell and a review date, and each action has one owner who said yes and a due date.
Before the session
- For team leads, facilitators and trainers who run a recurring meeting of 30 to 60 minutes with 3–12 people. For a one-off workshop, use the workshop agenda template instead.
- Two working days before, collect the items. Each owner writes a question or an outcome, chooses one type (inform, discuss or decide) and names the reading. Send an item with no outcome back with: “What do you need from us: to know, to give views or to decide?”
- Add the minutes and cut or move items until the total fits the meeting length. For each decide item, write who decides and how. Send the agenda and the reading one working day before, and name a note-taker.
- Send the agenda and the reading as plain text that screen readers can read. Invite written views before and during the meeting, say that passing is fine, keep captions on and cameras optional.
How to fill it in with your team
Open: outcomes and open actions
Start on time. Take one minute to read the outcomes: “When we leave, we will have: [one to three outcomes].” Then take four minutes for the action list. Each owner says one word for each open action: done, open or dropped. Do not discuss the actions. Say: “If an action needs a conversation, it becomes an item next week, or two people solve it after the meeting.” Ask: “Is any action no longer needed?” Record a dropped action in the decision log.
Inform items: questions only
Plan about three minutes for each inform item. People have read the text, so the owner gives only the headline, in one minute. Ask: “Which questions change what you will do?” Take questions for two minutes. Close with: “Noted. Does anyone need to pass this on, and to whom?” If yes, record one action. If a debate starts, say: “This has become a discussion. [Owner], do you want it as a discuss item next week?”
Discuss items: views, then a named next step
Two minutes: the owner reads the question and says what they will do with the views. Say: “We are not deciding this today.” Two minutes: everyone writes their view in silence, on paper or in the chat. Six minutes: go round once; each person reads one point or passes. Two minutes: summarise and close. Say: “I heard three points: [points]. The next step is: [name] does [what] by [date]. [Name], do you accept that?” Record the action only when the owner says yes.
Decide items: proposal, objections, decision
Two minutes: the owner states the proposal and you name who decides and how, for example: “The team lead decides after hearing us.” Three minutes: questions to understand, no opinions yet. Five minutes: concerns and objections, written first, then one each or a pass. Two minutes: the decider states the decision in one sentence. Two minutes: the note-taker writes the decision, the reason in one line, who must be told and the review date, and reads the row aloud. If the group cannot decide, say: “We cannot decide today because we lack [what]. [Name] gets it by [date], and the item returns on [date].”
Read back decisions and actions
The note-taker reads each new decision and each new action aloud from the screen. After each action, ask the owner: “Is that yours, and is the date right?” An action without a yes is deleted or given to someone who is present. Then ask: “Who was not here, and who tells them what by when?” Name any item that did not fit today and say when it returns.
End-of-meeting check
Read the four questions of the end-of-meeting check. Answer the first three aloud in one minute: items closed, owners and dates, and who tells the people who were absent. Then give one minute of silent writing: one thing to keep and one thing to change next time, in the chat or on paper. Passing is fine. In the last minute, read two or three replies without names, choose one change for the next meeting, and end on time.
Participant worksheet
Copy this table into a document, or print the worksheet from the bundle. Share only what you choose.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Before the meeting | One to three outcomes, and each item as a question with a type, an owner, minutes and preparation |
| Agenda | The opening, the inform, discuss and decide items, the read-back and the end check, with minutes that add up to the meeting length |
| Decision log | The decision, who decided, the date, the reason in one line, who must be told and the review date |
| Action list | An action that starts with a verb, one owner who said yes, a due date and a status |
| End-of-meeting check | Items closed, owners and dates confirmed, who tells the people who were absent, and one thing to change |
Debrief questions
- Which item in the last month ended without a decision, a next step or “noted”, and how was it written on the agenda?
- Which decision in the log did we have to make twice, and what was missing the first time?
- Which inform items could have been a written update that took no meeting time?
- Who spoke least during the decide items, and which written route would help them contribute?
Adapt it for your group
- For three or four people, skip the round in the discuss item and let each person speak once. Keep the decision log and the read-back; a small team forgets decisions as easily as a large one.
- For a 30-minute version, use the 30-minute column of the scaling table: three minutes to open, four for inform items, eight for one discuss item, ten for one decide item, three for the read-back and two for the check.
- Online, keep the agenda, the decision log and the action list in one shared document on screen. Collect views and objections in the chat before anyone speaks. Keep captions on and make cameras optional.
- For people who prefer not to speak in a group, take written views before the meeting and read them aloud without names. Say at the start that passing is fine in every round.
- Rotate the facilitator and the note-taker every four meetings. Hand over this template, the decision log and the action list, so that the method does not depend on one person.
After the session
Send the decision log and the action list on the same day, also to the people who were absent. Two working days before the next meeting, ask owners to update the status of their actions and to send new items as questions. When a decision reaches its review date, put it on the agenda as a decide item: keep, change or stop. After four meetings, read the meeting check log together and agree one change to the agenda.
Questions people ask
What should a meeting agenda template include?
The meeting’s one to three outcomes, and for each item: a question or an outcome, a type (inform, discuss or decide), an owner, the minutes and the preparation needed. A decision log and an action list belong with it, because they hold what the meeting produced. This template adds a short check at the end of the meeting.
How do you write an agenda item as a question?
Ask what the group must produce. “Holiday rota” is a topic. “Which of the two rota options do we use for 24 December to 2 January?” is a question that ends in a decision. If the item only shares news, write what people need to know and what they do differently.
What do you do with an agenda item that has no outcome?
Before the meeting, send it back to its owner with one question: “What do you need from us: to know, to give views or to decide?” If the owner cannot answer, the item becomes a written update or waits until it is a question. If it comes up during the meeting, move it to next week’s list.
How long should a recurring team meeting be?
This kit plans 45 minutes: one opening, two short inform items, one discuss item, one decide item, a read-back and an end check. The scaling table shows the same structure for 30 and 60 minutes. These are planning estimates; the Excel agenda shows at once whether your own items fit the length you chose.
How is this different from the workshop agenda template?
The workshop agenda template plans one session with activities and a run of show. The project kickoff meeting agenda covers the first meeting of a project. This kit is for a meeting that repeats: it carries a decision log and an action list from one meeting to the next. For a larger goal with several owners, use the team action plan template.
What is included in the free and editable files?
The open PDF has the blank agenda, the decision log, the action list, the end-of-meeting check, filled examples and the six facilitation steps. Subscribers also receive the editable Word file, an Excel workbook with agendas that calculate times and minutes over or under, a decision log, an action list that flags overdue actions and a meeting check log, and a CSV of the example agenda. The decision log is a working record for a team. It is not formal minutes or a legal record.
How to use the files
Print the PDF, edit the Word file in Word or Google Docs, or open the CSV or XLSX in a spreadsheet. Open files need no email.
Can I use this with paying clients?
Yes. Use and adapt this original Superglue kit in your own training, including paid client sessions. Please share this page rather than redistributing the unmodified kit. Read the full usage terms.