Re: Format of meeting minutes

At 05:11 PM 3/16/04 +0900, olivier Thereaux wrote:
>QAWG,
>
>[...]
>I would like to bring to your attention on how the minutes format[1], 
>proposed by Karl, is both pleasant and useful. Comparing regular minutes 
>[2] with minutes using this format [3] leaves no doubt as whether the 
>readability is worth the effort. Nothing fancy, just a small summary, and 
>enough space to separate the main sections of the discussion record.
>
>[1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-qa-wg/2004Mar/0004.html
>[2] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-qa-wg/2004Mar/0011.html
>[3] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-qa-wg/2004Mar/0006.html
>
>In the case of face-to-face minutes, I would agree that the format mostly 
>benefits me, as editor of the summary, but for regular meetings, where the 
>"full" minutes are the only document available, we have to remember that 
>there is an audience beyond the participant (looking for a reference in 
>the minutes, which should thus be acurate), and all these readers should 
>be given something reasonably readable and understandable.
>
>I can not stress enough how the meeting minutes are (or should be) a 
>primary tool for the WG's communication,

Ideally, that is so (yes, "should be").  But in reality:  the minutes vary 
widely in quality, completeness, and accuracy; and, I suspect QAWG-ers 
sometimes don't look at 'em again after the meeting, neither draft nor 
final versions.  (Situation normal -- too much to do, too little time.)

>and therefore suggest that the QAWG adopts these minute taking guidelines 
>for all its meetings in the future.

I don't mind trying it.  Do you want to propose a new minutes template?

Minute takers, what do you think?

A caveat.  The synopsis/abstract that summarizes each discussion topic:

1.) introduces a responsibility that the minute taker interpret and 
summarize the raw discussion.
2.) implies that all of us ought to check the draft minutes, more perhaps 
than is happening now.

-Lofton.

Received on Wednesday, 17 March 2004 19:08:24 UTC