Generate Meeting Minutes
Turn rough meeting notes into properly structured minutes with actions, owners, and deadlines.
BeginnerProject ManagerStakeholder Communication
Overview
Meeting minutes are a project record that people treat as admin. Then a dispute arrives and the minutes are the only contemporaneous evidence of what was agreed, by whom, on what date.
This workflow turns rough notes into structured minutes with a proper action table: ID, description, owner, due date. Every action has a name against it and a date, because an action without both is a wish.
The tedious part is the formatting and the chasing of actions, which is exactly the part that gets skipped when minutes get written three days late from memory. Getting them out the same day is worth more than getting them perfect.
WHEN TO USE THIS
Use it immediately after the meeting, while your notes still make sense to you. Notes decay fast. Something you scrawled at 2pm is obvious at 3pm and cryptic on Thursday.
Use it for progress meetings, design team meetings, subcontractor coordination, pre-start meetings. Anything with actions coming out of it.
Use it on a voice memo. Walk to the car, talk through what happened for four minutes, transcribe it, paste it in. This is the single best use of this workflow and almost nobody does it.
Use it when you have inherited someone else's illegible notes and need to produce something distributable.
WHEN NOT TO USE THIS
Do not use it for anything contractual that needs to be precise about words. If the meeting included a discussion that might turn into a variation or a claim, the minute of that item needs to be written by you, carefully, in the words you choose. An AI paraphrase of a contractual exchange is a paraphrase, and it will get read in two years by someone looking for exactly the words.
Do not use it where the meeting is confidential or the transcript is sensitive. A commercial settlement discussion, a disciplinary, anything involving people's personal information. Check your policy and think about UK GDPR before a recording of colleagues goes into an AI tool. If you are recording at all, everyone needs to know.
Do not use it to invent what you did not capture. If you missed an item, the minute says nothing about it. AI will happily produce a plausible discussion of a topic you mentioned in passing, and a fabricated minute is far worse than an incomplete one.
And do not let it decide what a decision was. The AI sees "discussed the roof, Dave to check" and may write "agreed the roof detail". Those are different, and on a bad day the difference is a claim.
COMMON MISTAKES
Actions without owners. "Team to review" is not an action. AI does this constantly when your notes are vague, because it will not invent a name it does not have. If your notes say "someone needs to chase the DNO", the minute needs a name in it before it goes out, and you are the one who has to decide whose.
Minutes that record discussion instead of decisions. The test for every item: in six months, will a reader know what was decided and who is doing what? Three paragraphs of "the team discussed options" fails that. One line of "agreed: option B, Marsh to issue revised detail by 24/07" passes.
Distributing without reading. The whole point is speed, and the failure mode of speed is issuing a document with the AI's inference in it. Read it once, properly, before it goes to the distribution list. It takes two minutes and it is the only quality control in the process.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are meeting minutes contractually binding?
Generally the minutes themselves are a record rather than a contract document, but that undersells them badly. They are contemporaneous evidence, and in a dispute contemporaneous evidence is what wins arguments. If minutes record an instruction and nobody objected to them at the time, that is powerful. Some contracts also give specific meetings a formal status, so check yours. The practical point is that unchallenged minutes tend to be treated as what happened, which is exactly why you read them before they go out, and why you object in writing if someone else's minutes are wrong.
Can I record a meeting and have AI transcribe it?
Technically yes, easily. Legally and professionally, tell everyone first and get their agreement. Covert recording of colleagues or a client damages trust permanently and creates UK GDPR problems, since a recording of identifiable people is personal data and needs a lawful basis, a retention period and appropriate handling. Check where the transcription tool sends the audio and whether it trains on it. Many firms have a policy on this now. Read it before you press record, not after.
How quickly should minutes go out?
Within 24 hours, ideally the same day. The value decays fast: actions do not start until people know they own them, and any error in the minutes is easier to correct while everyone remembers. Same-day minutes with one typo beat immaculate minutes issued the following Tuesday.
What if someone disputes the minutes?
Correct them if they are wrong, and record the correction rather than silently editing. The standard mechanism is to raise it at the next meeting and minute the amendment. Where the disputed item is contractual, get the objection in writing at the time. Silence against minutes that record something against your interest is not a good look later.
Should I use AI on a Teams transcript?
That is one of the better uses, because the transcript is complete and your notes never are. Two warnings. Teams transcripts mangle names, technical terms and anything said over a bad connection, so the AI is working from flawed input and will not tell you which bits. And the transcript is a recording of your colleagues, so the consent and data points above apply in full.
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Prompt
You are a Construction Project Manager. Convert the following rough meeting notes into formal meeting minutes: Meeting: [TYPE, e.g., Design Team Meeting #14] Date: [DATE] Location: [LOCATION / MS Teams] Attendees: [LIST] Apologies: [LIST] Notes: [PASTE your rough notes, bullet points, or even voice memo transcript] Format the minutes with: 1. Header (meeting name, date, attendees, apologies) 2. Previous Actions Review (if provided) 3. Discussion Items (numbered, with key decisions recorded) 4. New Actions Table (Action ID, Description, Owner, Due Date) 5. Next Meeting Date 6. Distribution List Keep the minutes factual and concise. Capture decisions clearly. Ensure every action has a named owner and a due date.
Example Output
WORKED EXAMPLE: PROGRESS MEETING, CARE HOME EXTENSION ── WHAT GOES IN (the rough notes) ── This is what real notes look like. Typed one-handed during the meeting. Meeting: Progress Meeting #9 Date: 14/07/2026 Location: MS Teams Attendees: me (A Crocker, PM), Dan Hollis (Site Man), Priya Raval (client rep, Fairmont Care), Tom Beckett (Marsh Architects), Sue Nadeem (M&E sub, Coleford), Rob Tozer (QS) Apologies: Jim Weston (structural) Notes: prev actions - 8.2 window schedule, Tom done issued 09/07. 8.4 asbestos survey plant room, still outstanding, Priya chasing, was due 07/07, now says end of week. 8.5 crane licence, Dan done. frame - complete, signed off, 2 days ahead roof - started 08/07, going ok, weather held. felt down on 60%. Dan says finish 25/07 barring rain windows - delivery confirmed 28/07. Tom flagged cill detail on north elevation still not resolved, needs Jim, Jim not here. Tom will email him. this is blocking, windows can't go in without it. Tom says he can turn it round 48hrs after Jim confirms M&E - Sue says first fix started ground floor, 30%. plant room can't start til asbestos survey done. Sue getting antsy, says if survey not done by 21/07 she loses her gang, they go to another job, 3 wk delay - big discussion. Priya said she'd escalate today. Rob asked if that's a comp event, said depends, park it - Sue asked about temp power. currently on genny. permanent supply date? nobody knew. Dan to check with Western Power snagging - Priya asked about the handover process, agreed we'd do a snagging walk 2 wks before PC not 1 commercial - Rob: val 8 submitted 10/07, cert due 24/07. 3 variations pending, VO-11 12 13. VO-11 (extra sockets) agreed £4,200. VO-12 (roof upgrade) Priya wants a price before she approves, Rob to issue by 18/07. VO-13 (drainage) Rob says needs Jim's input - Rob raised retention, says contract says 3% but client's last cert deducted 5%, Priya to check with finance H&S - one near miss 11/07, dropped tool from scaffold, no injury, exclusion zone reinforced, Dan did toolbox talk 12/07 next meeting 28/07 2pm Teams ── WHAT COMES OUT ── PROGRESS MEETING MINUTES Meeting: Progress Meeting #9 Project: Fairmont Care Home, Chippenham, Extension and Refurbishment Date: 14 July 2026, 14:00 Location: Microsoft Teams Attendees: A. Crocker (AC), Project Manager D. Hollis (DH), Site Manager P. Raval (PR), Client Representative, Fairmont Care T. Beckett (TB), Marsh Architects S. Nadeem (SN), Coleford M&E R. Tozer (RT), Quantity Surveyor Apologies: J. Weston (JW), Structural Engineer 1. PREVIOUS ACTIONS REVIEW | Ref | Action | Owner | Status | |-----|--------|-------|--------| | 8.2 | Issue window schedule | TB | CLOSED. Issued 09/07/2026. | | 8.4 | Asbestos survey, plant room | PR | OPEN. Was due 07/07/2026. PR advises now expected end of week commencing 14/07. See item 4. | | 8.5 | Crane licence | DH | CLOSED. | 2. PROGRESS Frame: Complete and signed off. Two days ahead of programme. Roof: Commenced 08/07/2026. Progressing well, no weather delays to date. Felt at 60% complete. DH forecasts completion 25/07/2026 subject to weather. M&E first fix: Commenced ground floor, 30% complete. Plant room cannot commence pending the asbestos survey (item 4). 3. WINDOWS: NORTH ELEVATION CILL DETAIL Window delivery confirmed for 28/07/2026. TB advised the north elevation cill detail remains unresolved and requires structural input from JW, who sent apologies. Windows cannot be installed until the detail is issued. TB confirmed he can issue the revised detail within 48 hours of JW's confirmation. Recorded as a blocking item against a confirmed 28/07 delivery. 4. ASBESTOS SURVEY, PLANT ROOM (ESCALATED) The plant room asbestos survey remains outstanding against an original due date of 07/07/2026. SN advised that if the survey is not complete by 21/07/2026, Coleford will redeploy their plant room gang to another project, and the earliest return would be approximately three weeks later. PR undertook to escalate within Fairmont Care on 14/07/2026. RT raised whether a delay arising from the outstanding survey would constitute a compensation event. No conclusion was reached and the item was parked for further discussion. This minute records only that the question was raised, not that any position was agreed by either party. 5. TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT POWER SN queried the date for permanent supply, the site currently being on generator. No date was available at the meeting. DH to confirm with Western Power. 6. HANDOVER AND SNAGGING PR queried the handover process. Agreed that the snagging walk will take place two weeks prior to Practical Completion rather than one week. 7. COMMERCIAL Valuation 8 submitted 10/07/2026. Certificate due 24/07/2026. Variations pending: VO-11, additional sockets. Agreed at £4,200. VO-12, roof specification upgrade. PR requires a price prior to approval. RT to issue by 18/07/2026. VO-13, drainage. Requires structural input from JW before pricing. RT raised that the contract provides for retention at 3%, but the previous certificate deducted 5%. PR to check with Fairmont Care finance. 8. HEALTH AND SAFETY One near miss recorded 11/07/2026: a tool was dropped from the scaffold. No injury and no damage. The exclusion zone below the scaffold has been reinforced. DH delivered a toolbox talk on 12/07/2026. 9. NEW ACTIONS | ID | Action | Owner | Due | |----|--------|-------|-----| | 9.1 | Email JW requesting confirmation of the north elevation cill detail | TB | 15/07/2026 | | 9.2 | Issue revised north elevation cill detail, within 48 hours of JW confirmation | TB | 48 hrs from 9.1 response | | 9.3 | Escalate outstanding plant room asbestos survey within Fairmont Care | PR | 14/07/2026 | | 9.4 | Confirm permanent supply date with Western Power | DH | 21/07/2026 | | 9.5 | Issue price for VO-12, roof specification upgrade | RT | 18/07/2026 | | 9.6 | Provide structural input to VO-13, drainage | JW | 21/07/2026 | | 9.7 | Confirm contractual retention percentage with Fairmont Care finance | PR | 21/07/2026 | | 9.8 | Carry over: complete plant room asbestos survey | PR | 21/07/2026 | 10. NEXT MEETING 28 July 2026, 14:00, Microsoft Teams. 11. DISTRIBUTION All attendees, J. Weston, Fairmont Care project file, project CDE. ── WHAT YOU STILL HAD TO DO ── Three things, and they are the reason you read it before sending. Action 9.6 has JW's name on it and JW was not in the meeting. The notes say "Rob says needs Jim's input", which is not the same as Jim accepting an action with a date. You either flag it as proposed or you speak to Jim. The AI put a name and a date on it because you asked for a name and a date on everything, and it did not know Jim was absent. Item 4 needed handling carefully. The raw note says "Rob asked if that's a comp event, said depends, park it". A careless minute would say the parties discussed a compensation event, which sounds like a position was taken. The wording here records only that the question was raised. That distinction is exactly the kind of thing that gets read closely later, and it is why contractual items get written by you rather than paraphrased. The three-week delay threat in item 4 is the most important thing in the meeting and the AI buried it in a paragraph. It got promoted to its own numbered item with the escalation flagged. AI structures what you give it. It does not know what matters.
Use Case
Use straight after the meeting, while the notes still make sense. Paste in rough bullets, a scrawled list, or a voice memo transcript from the walk back to the car, and you get formatted minutes with a proper action table.
The voice memo route is the one worth building a habit around. Four minutes of talking through what happened, transcribed, gives the AI far more to work with than the three lines you managed to type while chairing.
Read it before you distribute. Check every action has the right owner, especially where someone was not in the room to accept it, and write any contractual item yourself in your own words. Those are the two things the AI will get wrong, and they are both quick to fix once you know to look.
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