Writing Notes That Highlight Important Topics

How I Structure My Meeting Notes as a Program Manager at Amazon One of the most underrated skills in program management is note-taking. With so many meetings, decisions, and action items flying around, having a solid system for capturing and organizing information is critical. Over the years, I’ve developed a structure that keeps me on top of things—and ensures nothing slips through the cracks. Here’s how I approach my meeting notes: 1️⃣ Start with the Basics I always document the essentials upfront: • Meeting Name & Date • Attendees • Objective or Agenda (Why are we here?) This helps me quickly orient myself when reviewing notes later. 2️⃣ Use Action-Driven Sections My notes are broken into three sections: • Decisions Made: Clear and concise. What was decided, and why? • Action Items: Each action includes an owner, due date, and a quick description of what’s expected. No ambiguity. • Key Discussions: I summarize important points—nothing overly detailed, just enough to provide context. 3️⃣ Keep Notes Digital and Searchable I use tools like OneNote to keep everything organized and searchable. By tagging projects, teams, or topics, I can quickly find past notes without digging through endless files. 4️⃣ Review and Share Afterward After the meeting, I do a quick review of my notes, clean them up if needed, and share them with attendees. It’s a great way to confirm alignment and ensure everyone is clear on next steps. This system helps me stay organized, track progress, and reduce the chances of things falling through the cracks. How do you structure your meeting notes? #ProgramManagement #Leadership #Amazon #Productivity #Meetings

To my fellow EAs - let's talk meeting minutes. A few tips below: 🛠 Before the Meeting: - Know the agenda: Get a copy ahead of time. You'll anticipate key points. - Set up a simple template: — saves you from scrambling. - Clarify roles: Know who’s leading the meeting and who the key decision-makers are. 🗒 During the Meeting: - Capture major points, not every word: Focus on decisions made, key discussions, and assigned tasks — not side conversations or exact quotes. - Use bullet points: They're faster to write and easier to read later. - Identify action items clearly: Write what needs to happen, who’s responsible, and by when. - Mark follow-ups: If something is undecided, flag it for next time. - Stay neutral: Don’t add personal opinions or interpretations. 🛠 After the Meeting: - Clean up right away: Don’t wait — fresh memory = better notes. - Summarize clearly: Reword any messy notes into clean, short sentences. - Send it out quickly: Ideally the same day or the next morning, while things are still fresh for everyone. - Highlight key decisions and tasks: Bold or bullet them so people can skim easily. 🧠 Bonus Quick Tips: - Bring a laptop if you type faster than you write (I prefer writing) - If you’re unsure about something (like a decision), ask during the meeting: "Just to confirm, are we agreeing to [this decision]?" - Develop shorthand: "AI" for Action Item, "D" for Decision, "F/U" for Follow-Up. What would you add?

Taking good meeting minutes is critical. Without good meeting minutes, it's like the meeting did not happen - people will forget the decisions and actions within 1 day. Here is how to take good meeting minutes: - 📅 Date - ✋ Who was in attendance - 📰 Topics discussed (keep this high level so it is easy to read but specific enough so it is not ambiguous as to what was discussed - examples: enrollment concerns due to site 701, statistical analysis plan timeline adjustments) - 👨⚖️ Decisions reached (again, keep this high level so it is easy to understand what the decision was but not so high level that it is unclear as to what the decision is - examples: remove inclusion criteria 11, statistical programmer and medical writer review to occur in parallel) - 🎯 Actions given - this should include who owns the action and when the action is due (bonus points if you then transfer these actions to the project's action/decision log 😲) That's really it. Meeting minutes should not be transcripts of what was said, they should instead be very simple, easy (quick) to read documents that summarize exactly what was discussed, what decisions were reached, and what actions remain to be completed. Refer back to your meeting minutes on a regular basis to ensure you are not doubling back on decisions made and to ensure you are following up on action items. Happy Thursday