Meeting minutes and actions

How it works

1. Set up the running furniture

   Create headers and footers before adding the meeting content. Put the team name in the header and the working-copy label in the footer.

2. Capture decisions separately

   Use a bulleted list for agreed decisions so readers can distinguish them from work that is still pending.

3. Assign the follow-up

   Write the actions, owners, and due dates into a table, then finish with the purpose of the next meeting.

The example below shows the document API and layout used for this report. Follow the Word guide for package setup in your own project.

using System.IO;
using OfficeIMO.Word;

namespace OfficeIMO.Examples.Showcase.Workflows;

/// <summary>Turns meeting decisions and actions into an editable record with a running header.</summary>
internal static class MeetingMinutes {
    internal static void Create(string folder) {
        using WordDocument document = WordDocument.Create(Path.Combine(folder, "example.docx"));
        document.Settings.FontSize = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(11);
        document.PageSetup.Header.AddParagraph("NORTHWIND / DELIVERY REVIEW");
        document.AddParagraph("Delivery review minutes").Style = WordParagraphStyles.Heading1;
        document.AddParagraph("14 September 2026 | Facilitator: Jordan Lee | Duration: 30 minutes");
        document.AddParagraph("Attendees: Product, Engineering, Operations and Support.");

        document.AddParagraph("Decisions").Style = WordParagraphStyles.Heading2;
        WordList decisions = document.AddList(WordListStyle.Bulleted);
        decisions.AddItem("Start the pilot with the support team before inviting all departments.");
        decisions.AddItem("Keep the current escalation route during the first two weeks.");
        document.AddParagraph("Actions to follow up").Style = WordParagraphStyles.Heading2;
        string[,] values = {
            { "Action", "Owner", "Due" },
            { "Confirm pilot participants", "Product", "18 September" },
            { "Publish the support guide", "Support", "21 September" },
            { "Exercise recovery", "Operations", "23 September" }
        };
        WordTable actions = document.AddTable(4, 3, WordTableStyle.TableGrid);
        for (int row = 0; row < 4; row++) {
            for (int column = 0; column < 3; column++) {
                actions.Rows[row].Cells[column].Paragraphs[0].Text = values[row, column];
                actions.Rows[row].Cells[column].Paragraphs[0].Bold = row == 0;
                if (row == 0) actions.Rows[row].Cells[column].ShadingFillColor = OfficeColor.Parse("E8EEF8");
            }
        }
        document.AddParagraph("Next meeting").Style = WordParagraphStyles.Heading2;
        document.AddParagraph("28 September: review pilot feedback and decide whether to expand access.");
        foreach (WordParagraph paragraph in document.Paragraphs) {
            paragraph.FontSize = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(11);
            paragraph.LineSpacingAfter = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(7D);
            if (paragraph.Style == WordParagraphStyles.Heading1) {
                paragraph.FontSize = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(26);
                paragraph.Bold = true;
                paragraph.LineSpacingAfter = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(12D);
            } else if (paragraph.Style == WordParagraphStyles.Heading2) {
                paragraph.FontSize = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(15);
                paragraph.Bold = true;
                paragraph.LineSpacingBefore = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(12D);
                paragraph.LineSpacingAfter = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(6D);
            }
        }
        foreach (WordTable styledTable in document.Tables) {
            styledTable.SetWidthPercentage(100);
            styledTable.SetColumnWidthsPercentage(50, 25, 25);
            foreach (var row in styledTable.Rows) {
                foreach (var cell in row.Cells) {
                    cell.MarginTop = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Centimeters(0.1D);
                    cell.MarginBottom = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Centimeters(0.1D);
                    foreach (var paragraph in cell.Paragraphs) {
                        paragraph.FontSize = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(11);
                        paragraph.LineSpacingAfter = global::OfficeIMO.OfficeLength.Points(3D);
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        WorkflowFooter.Add(document, "Delivery review minutes");
        document.Save();
    }
}

Use this in your project

Feed the action table from your meeting notes or task system. Preserve the difference between a decision already made and an action somebody still needs to complete.

The Word guide explains package setup and related document APIs.

Continue with another example

• WordProject charter
• WordEmployee onboarding checklist
• MarkdownAn architecture decision record