Meeting minutes and decisions log in Notion for architects

Why keep a decisions log separate from meeting notes?

Notes are chronological and long. Decisions are what you need weeks later when a client asks why the window moved. A dedicated Decisions database lets you filter by project, topic, date or status and find the answer in seconds. It also supports change control: if a decision affects fee or programme, you can see it when invoicing.

What fields does a decisions log need?

A listing on Notion's gallery, the Client Meeting & Decision Tracker, uses a similar set of fields (status, type, impact, owner, due date, rationale, outcome) with decisions linked to meetings.

• Client Meeting & Decision Tracker (notion.com)

What should a meeting entry contain?

1. 1

   Header

   Project, date, location or call link, attendees, apologies.

2. 2

   Agenda

   Prefilled from the last meeting's open items.

3. 3

   Notes

   Short bullets, grouped by topic. No transcript.

4. 4

   Decisions

   A linked view of the Decisions database filtered to this meeting. Add rows here.

5. 5

   Actions

   Task rows with owner and due date, linked to the meeting.

6. 6

   Circulated

   A checkbox and date for when minutes were sent.

Use a database template so every new meeting starts with these sections.

How do action items stay alive?

Actions rot when they stay inside notes. Make them rows in a Tasks database with owner, due date, project and source meeting. Then each person has a filtered view of their open actions, and the next meeting's agenda is a linked view of open actions for that project.

Can AI help with minutes?

Notion offers AI meeting-notes features; check Notion's current documentation and plan details for what is available. Whatever you use, a person should review before circulation, because misattributed decisions create exactly the problem the log exists to prevent. Check client confidentiality and consent rules before recording any meeting, as they differ by jurisdiction.

What makes the record useful in a dispute?

A consistent habit: minutes sent within a day or two, a request to correct errors by a set date, decisions that reference the confirming source, and no overwriting (mark superseded instead). This is general good practice, not legal advice; consult your professional indemnity insurer or adviser on record-keeping requirements.

What does a worked example look like?

At a design meeting the client agrees to switch the kitchen window from sliding to fixed. In the meeting page you add a decision row: 'Kitchen window changed to fixed pane', Decided by: named client, Reason: cleaning and cost, Effect: Cost and Programme, Status: Agreed. You paste the link to the follow-up email as the source.

Three weeks later the client asks why the window is fixed. You filter Decisions by project and search 'window' and find the date, reason and email in seconds. When the window supplier's lead time appears in the programme, the Effect flag reminds you to check the knock-on. At invoicing, a filtered view of decisions with Effect: Fee shows whether additional services need discussing.

Compare this with the usual alternative: scrolling email threads and remembering which meeting it was. The log does not make decisions better, but it makes them recoverable.

Where ArchitectOS fits

ArchitectOS (we make it, $79) has an Approvals section for client sign-offs, and its Pin Board and home page help surface open items, but it does not include a dedicated meeting minutes database. Add the Meetings and Decisions databases above alongside it if you want that.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a decisions log?

A searchable list of decisions on a project, recording what was decided, by whom, when and why, usually linked to the meeting or email that confirms it.

How do I take meeting minutes in Notion?

Use a Meetings database with a template containing attendees, agenda, notes, a linked decisions view and an actions list. Create a new entry per meeting.

Should decisions be in the meeting page or separate?

Make them database rows linked to the meeting. You can show them inside the meeting page via a linked view while still searching them across projects.

How soon should minutes be sent?

As soon as practical, ideally within a day or two. Check your appointment, as some set response periods for corrections.

Can I use Notion's AI for meeting notes?

Notion has AI features for notes; check current availability for your plan. Review all AI output before circulating it, and check consent rules for recording.