What do meeting minutes serve as?

Meeting minutes serve as a written record of the proceedings of a meeting. This documentation is crucial as it captures the discussions, decisions made, and the actions assigned during the meeting. Minutes provide an official account that can be referred back to at later meetings or by members who were unable to attend. They help maintain transparency and ensure accountability among participants by clearly outlining what was agreed upon.

In contrast, while summaries of main motions might be included within the minutes, they do not fully embody the purpose of this documentation. Additionally, feedback about a meeting's effectiveness is something that might be collected separately, often in the form of evaluations or surveys, but is not a function of the minutes. Lastly, describing minutes as a formality without real significance undermines their importance; they are essential for both compliance with procedural requirements and for serving as a reliable tool for organizational memory and continuity.