What is an action item in a board meeting?

Definition

An action item in a board meeting context is a task or responsibility assigned to a board member, executive, or committee as a result of discussions or decisions made during the meeting. These items are typically documented in the meeting minutes and tracked until completion, ensuring that strategic decisions lead to measurable follow-through.

So, what is an action item? It’s a post-meeting task with a clear owner and deadline — a vital mechanism for turning governance decisions into results.

What is an action item in a meeting?

During a board meeting, key agenda items often result in agreed-upon actions. These are formalized as action items, with details including:

• The task or outcome (e.g., “Review vendor compliance policy”)
• The responsible party (e.g., “Audit Committee Chair”)
• The due date or review period (e.g., “By next quarterly meeting”)

When boards wonder, what are action items, they refer to the follow-up tasks essential to board accountability and oversight.

Why action items matter for boards

Action items are foundational to effective board governance. They:

• Ensure decisions lead to progress
• Assign accountability to individuals or subcommittees
• Provide structure for follow-up at future meetings
• Reinforce transparency across board operations

Boards that document, track, and revisit action items are more likely to maintain strategic alignment and regulatory compliance.

How board portals support action items

Board portals offer integrated tools to create, assign, and track action items seamlessly within the board meeting workflow.

With a board portal, secretaries and governance professionals can:

• Automatically generate action items from meeting minutes
• Assign tasks with deadlines and owners
• Send reminders and monitor status between meetings
• Access a historical log of completed and pending action items

This reduces manual follow-up and ensures no commitment is forgotten between sessions.

Example:
After a cybersecurity discussion, the board assigns an action item: “IT Director to present updated risk mitigation plan by May meeting.” The board portal logs this, notifies the responsible party, and includes the update in the next agenda.

Quick summary

• What is an action item? → A specific task assigned during a board meeting
• What are action items? → Follow-up tasks that help boards execute decisions
• What is an action item in a meeting? → A trackable responsibility documented in minutes
• Board portals streamline action item management for better governance

Related terms