Is your decision on paper?
Knowing what to do but still not doing it is the most common ailment in meetings, and the cure is not to hold more meetings.
Decisions remain on paper due to a lack of three things: a single owner for each task, a specific verifiable deadline, and a regular review rhythm. Attach all three elements right in the room before anyone leaves for the decision to take action. Beautiful minutes and a good meeting cannot replace action.
- Major decision with multiple steps: requires a main person and a diligent checker, along with someone to maintain consistency.
- Concise decision: only requires the main person and a limit, no need for many follow-up roles.
- when it's time to follow up: the act of revisiting at the beginning of regular meetings to create a habit of accountability
- Finalize without assigning specific responsibilities; everyone assumes someone else will do it.
- set open deadlines like early or this quarter, so it never reaches a deadline
Many organizations do not lack good decisions; they lack decisions that are executed. Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton call this the knowing-doing gap: organizations know what to do, even have meetings and reach conclusions, but still do not act. The root cause is not a lack of information but a lack of mechanisms to turn decisions into actions.
Why decisions do not execute
Pfeffer and Sutton point out a common trap: talking instead of doing (smart talk trap). Organizations use plans, minutes, reports, and presentations as if completing those is progress. In reality, that is just talk about the work, not the work itself.
Moreover, the fear of widening this gap is significant. When someone is concerned about failure, worried about judgment, or does not see clear benefits from execution, they will retreat into further discussions instead of taking action. Internal competition can have a similar effect: when the interests of different parties conflict, execution is delayed as a way to avoid responsibility.
Three things to attach to every decision
According to the action items practice standard in meeting management, each decision needs to have three elements before anyone leaves:
- A single owner. Not a team, not a department, but one specifically named individual. When many people share responsibility, the reality is that no one takes ownership.
- A deadline that can be checked. A specific date, not "this quarter" or "soon." Accompanying the deadline are criteria to know when the task is completed, such as: sending drafts, updating the tracking sheet, or confirming with the client.
- A regular check-in rhythm. Spend the beginning of the next meeting reviewing the previous period. This is not a judgment session, but an opportunity to identify issues before they become problems.
Missing one of the three, decisions will gradually become cold after a few days.
When to need a tracking system, when not to
Major multi-step decisions: require a lead for each step, deadlines for each step, a rhythm for checks, and an additional person to maintain the overall pace, someone who is not working but remembers who is doing what and when it needs to be completed. Without a pacekeeper, pieces can easily fall into the gaps between individuals.
Concise one-step decisions: only need a lead and a deadline. No heavy machinery is required, just ensure that the person understands and agrees, not just nodding in the room and forgetting after leaving.
Common mistakes after the closing session
- Finalize without assigning anyone specific, and everyone assumes someone else is handling it.
- Set vague deadlines so they never truly arrive.
- Consider writing minutes as completing the task, confusing recording with action.
- Without a check rhythm, it may take three months to realize that no one has engaged.
- The owner should not be consulted before being assigned, so they are not truly committed.
Decisions owned by the team create a motivation for execution that is completely different from decisions imposed from above where no one feels responsible.
Sam Kaner, Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making
The viewpoint of Sinh Vũ
Sinh Vũ does not stop at documentation. In collaborative projects, the implementation tracking component is core, not an add-on. Sinh Vũ's decision documentation clearly outlines the next steps for each responsible person, turning decisions into actionable tasks with names, deadlines, and ownership.
With Sinh Vũ, a workshop is not finished when the decision is made. It is complete when the decision to start implementing it within the organization is made. The endpoint is not when everyone leaves, but when the first person begins their first task.
You do not need a complex system to start. Just agree in the room: who does what, when it's done, and who will follow up after a week. Asking those three questions, enough and recorded, is better than most lengthy minutes today.
Decision checklist
Topic: How to ensure decisions are executed rather than just on paper. Sinh Vũ Handbook, sinhvu.com
Select each item you find appropriate, then print or save as PDF to take with you.
If you have marked most of the signs above, this is the time to discuss in more detail. Sinh Vũ can help you review and propose a direction.
References
Pfeffer & Sutton, The Knowing-Doing Gap. Sam Kaner, Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making (Community At Work). Best practices for action items in meetings (Convene). Practical experience from Sinh Vũ in implementation projects.
Frequently asked questions
Can you delegate responsibility to the whole team?
Ineffective. When many people share responsibility for a task, in reality, no one takes ownership. Assign one clear owner; others can support, but the owner is the only one who must report results.
How should the deadline be set to avoid being overlooked?
The deadline must be a specific date, not this quarter or soon. Along with the deadline, include criteria for knowing when the task is complete: submitting files, sending confirmation emails, or updating the shared tracking sheet. Without criteria for completion, the deadline is just a date on the calendar, not a commitment.
How can we proceed without someone to maintain the rhythm of checks?
Set up a review at the beginning of each regular meeting that is already scheduled. Spend the first fifteen minutes reviewing the previous meeting before discussing new matters. This habit does not require an additional meeting, just discipline to maintain order.