Follow-ups

Follow-ups ensure that meetings lead to action. This guide covers tracking and managing action items that emerge from committee meetings.

What are Follow-ups?

Follow-ups are action items that:

• Emerge from meeting discussions
• Are assigned to specific people
• Have deadlines
• Link back to the meeting where they were created
• Can be tracked across multiple meetings

Creating Follow-up Actions

1. During the Meeting

   When an action item is identified, click “Add Action” from:

   • The meeting view
   • The specific agenda item
   • The actions section

2. Define the Action

   • Title — Clear, actionable description (start with a verb)
   • Description — Additional context if needed
   • Assignee — Who is responsible
   • Due Date — When it should be completed
   • Priority — Low, Medium, or High

3. Link to Agenda Item

   Connect to the agenda item it came from.

4. Save

   The action is now:

   • Linked to this meeting
   • Visible in the assignee’s Act module
   • Tracked in the committee’s actions list

Action Statuses

Track progress with statuses:

Status	Meaning
Pending	Not yet started
In Progress	Work underway
Completed	Done
Blocked	Cannot proceed
Cancelled	No longer needed

Views for Managing Follow-ups

Kanban View

Visual board for drag-and-drop status management:

1. Open the committee
2. Go to the Follow-ups tab
3. Select “Kanban” view
4. Drag actions between status columns (Pending, In Progress, Completed)

Ideal for quick status updates and getting an overview of work in progress.

Table View

See all actions in a sortable, filterable table:

1. Open the committee
2. Go to the Follow-ups tab
3. Select “Table” view
4. Sort by date, status, assignee, or priority
5. Filter and search across actions

Ideal for detailed review and reporting.

Act Module

Personal view of all your actions across all committees and plans:

1. Go to “Act” in the sidebar
2. See actions from all committees and plans in one place
3. Use the Kanban board, list, or calendar view

See Act for details.

Reviewing Follow-ups in Meetings

A key part of each meeting is reviewing outstanding actions:

Before the Meeting

1. Check which actions are due or overdue
2. Review status updates from action owners
3. Add action review items to the agenda

During the Meeting

Status Updates

For each action under review:

1. Ask the owner for status
2. Update the status in Pilotus
3. Note any blockers or issues
4. Adjust due dates if needed

Closing Actions

When an action is complete:

1. Verify completion with the group
2. Change status to “Completed”
3. Note any follow-on actions needed

Escalating Issues

When an action is blocked:

1. Discuss the blocker
2. Record the issue in notes
3. Decide on resolution approach
4. Create new actions if needed

Meeting Follow-up Tracking

See which meetings have discussed an action:

1. Open the action
2. View “Meeting History” or “Follow-up Info”
3. See a list of meetings where this action was reviewed
4. Each entry shows the status at the time of that meeting

This creates a history of how the action progressed over time.

Tip

Use meeting history to understand why an action took longer than expected or how priorities shifted.

Linking Actions to Meetings

Automatic Linking

Actions created during a meeting are automatically linked to:

• The meeting itself
• The specific agenda item (if created from one)

Manual Linking

Link existing actions to a meeting for review:

1. Open the meeting
2. Go to the agenda item for action review
3. Click “Link Action”
4. Search and select the action
5. The action now shows in this meeting’s context

Follow-up Best Practices

Clear Ownership

• One owner per action — Avoid shared responsibility
• Specific names — Not “the team” or “someone”
• Owner has authority — They can actually do the work

Realistic Deadlines

• Consider workload — Is the person already overloaded?
• Account for dependencies — What needs to happen first?
• Build in buffer — Things often take longer than expected

Actionable Descriptions

Good action titles:

• “Schedule meeting with finance team to review Q3 budget”
• “Draft proposal for new vendor policy by Oct 15”
• “Complete user interviews (10 minimum)”

Poor action titles:

• “Follow up”
• “Budget stuff”
• “Work on project”

Regular Review

• Weekly — Personal review in the Act module
• Each meeting — Review outstanding committee actions
• Monthly — Comprehensive review of overdue items

Escalation Path

When actions are stuck:

1. First meeting — Note the blocker, provide support
2. Second meeting — Escalate concern, reassess approach
3. Third meeting — Consider reassignment, scope change, or cancellation

Caution

Don’t let actions linger indefinitely. If an action isn’t progressing after multiple reviews, it may need to be cancelled, reassigned, or broken into smaller pieces.

Integration with Plans

Committee actions connect to your strategic plan:

• Actions can link to plan objectives
• Progress visible in both contexts
• Committee oversight ensures plan execution

Next Steps

• Act — Personal action management across all modules
• Decisions — Record meeting decisions
• Managing Meetings — Meeting lifecycle