Action Items Template: Copy-Paste Table, Excel & Word
An action items template is a table with one task per row: what has to happen, who owns it, when it's due and where it stands now. Copy the one below into Google Docs, Word, Sheets or Notion, or download the Excel and Word files. A filled-in example follows right after it.
The action items template
Paste the table into your meeting notes and add rows as tasks come up.
Download: Excel (.xlsx) with four tabs (list, log, tracker, register) · Word (.docx) with the template and the filled-in example.
If the list goes out by email or Slack, a plain-text version reads better than a table:
ACTION ITEMS | [Meeting name] | [Date]
1. [Verb + task] | Owner: [name] | Due: [date] | Status: Open
2. [Verb + task] | Owner: [name] | Due: [date] | Status: Open
3. [Verb + task] | Owner: [name] | Due: [date] | Status: Open
Next review: [date of the next meeting]What goes in each column
- Action item. A verb and a visible result. "Send the revised quote to Acme" tells everyone what done looks like; "Quote" doesn't.
- Owner. One person who makes sure it happens. If others help, name them in Notes.
- Due date. A calendar date rather than "next week" or "ASAP".
- Status. Open, In progress, Done or Blocked. Add more only if your team really uses them.
- Notes. The decision the task came from, a link, or the minute in the recording where it was agreed.
Filled-in example: a weekly product sync (fictional team)
"Discuss pricing" or "think about onboarding" don't belong here: they're topics, so they go on the next agenda. If the team agreed on a task but not on who or when, keep the row and leave the cell empty. The meeting lead confirms the owner and date with that person before the list goes out.
How to write action items people actually finish
- Write tasks down during the meeting, not from memory afterwards.
- Read the list out loud in the last two minutes so people can correct owners and dates while everyone is still on the call.
- Send it the same day. Our meeting follow-up template has wording for the email.
- Open the next meeting with the open items. Close what's done. For anything late, agree on a new date with the owner and write the reason in Notes.
List, log, tracker or register: which one you need
Pick by how long the list has to live.
The Excel download has each version on its own tab.
Where to keep the list
- Inside the meeting notes (Google Docs, Word, Notion) when the list is short and goes out with the minutes. Our meeting minutes template already has an action items section at the end.
- In a spreadsheet (Google Sheets, Excel) when it's a rolling log you filter by owner or status.
- In your task tool (Asana, Jira, Linear, ClickUp) when the items are real project work. Move them there after the meeting, and keep the meeting list as the record of who agreed to what.
Get the action items from the recording instead of typing them
If the meeting was recorded, HypeScribe can pull a draft list of action items from it, so you don't rebuild the list from memory.
- Add the recording. Upload an audio or video file up to 2 GB, or paste a link from Zoom, Google Drive, YouTube, Loom and other platforms. For calls that haven't happened yet, the HypeScribe notetaker can join Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams and record them (Pro and Ultra plans).
- Open the result. You get the transcript split by speaker with timestamps (rename Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 to real names), an Overview with the main points, and an Action Items tab.
- Check the list. Each item has a short title and a description of what was agreed. Tick items off, edit the wording, delete what isn't a task, or add one the AI missed.
- Verify owners and dates. AI can read an idea someone floated as a decision. Highlight the line in the transcript and press Play from here to hear who committed to what, and by when.
- Move it to the template. HypeScribe's action items have a title and a description, without separate Owner or Due date fields. Paste the title into the Action item column and the description into Notes if it holds conditions or what "done" means. Then fill in the owner and date you just checked. If they weren't agreed, leave the cells empty and ask. You can also download one report with the summary, action items and transcript as DOCX or PDF; the transcript alone can go straight to Google Docs.
Pricing works per file rather than per minute. A 90-minute planning session uses one credit, the same as a 5-minute voice memo, so long meetings don't cost more. Plans are on the pricing page.
From recording to action items
Get the action items from your meeting recording
Upload the file or paste a link. HypeScribe gives you the transcript with speakers, a summary and a draft list of action items. Check them, play back anything unclear and copy the list into your action log.
FAQ
What is an action item?
A task that comes out of a meeting, with one owner and a due date agreed before the list goes out. "Send the revised quote to Acme by Oct 21, Maya" is an action item. "Pricing" is a topic.
What's the difference between action items and meeting minutes?
Minutes record what was discussed and decided. Action items are what happens next. Most minutes end with an action items section, so the two usually live in the same document. See our meeting minutes template for that layout.
Can AI write action items from a meeting?
Yes, if you have a recording or a transcript. Tools like HypeScribe list the tasks discussed in the conversation. Treat the result as a draft: check who agreed to what, and add owners and dates before you send it.
