Dear Partners in Consulting,

I just attended a meeting with my client and the assigned project team. Although there was a lot of really great ideas and approaches discussed, I fear that very little will be acted on and I'm not sure what to do.

Take the "soft" initiative of preparing a summary of the meeting. Organize it in a smart and actionable manner. For instance, include key headings such as "Key Points Discussed", "Issues/Root Causes Identified", "Suggested Actions", "Expected Benefits", and "Open Questions".

Here's a short example...

Meeting Summary
Key Point Discussed: Uncommonly high rate of spoilage in inventory.
Root Cause Identified: Unacceptable level of refrigeration system temperature variation
Suggested action: Purchase new refrigeration system.
Expected Benefit: The $17,000 cost should be recovered within 16 months based on demonstrable reduction of spoilage. In addition we should see a significant reduction in customer complaints and resulting loss of business.

Tip: Providing a blueprint for action in the form of a well-designed meeting summary will make it much easier for your client to act on the recommendations discussed.

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