How to use an action log (& free template)

My To Do list is massive. So I have developed an action log to control my tasks, and those of the project team.

You can do the same, and honestly, it’s a game changer. The action register template I use is so simple (and you can grab it below from my project management resource library, which is full of editable templates).

Let’s learn about how to make the most of this amazing – and oh so simple – project management tool.

What is an action log?

A project action log is simply a single place for your team’s To Do list. It consolidates all the actions from meeting minutes, phone calls, conversations and more.

An action log saves you having to flick between different meeting minutes, emails and your notebook to remember all the tasks you have to do – and your team members and suppliers have promised to do as part of the project.

It is different to your project schedule, because that covers the meatier, deliverable-based work. The action log is your single location for all the other small tasks and To Dos that come up every day on the project.

The action log I use is a simple spreadsheet.

You don’t have to use a spreadsheet

I know people who keep their action logs in project management software, in a Teams list, in OneNote, or in a notebook.

To be fair, I used to keep mine in a notebook but I can’t do that anymore. I’m responsible for leading multiple projects and I just have too much in my brain to take the risk of having it on paper.

I do use a notebook in meetings (learn how I keep my notebook organized) and then I copy out the actions into the log so they are all in one place.

I like a spreadsheet as it’s easy to filter, and everyone can access it and refer to it. It doesn’t matter what tech you use (or none) as long as it is a single repository for all your project’s To Dos, and preferably sortable so you can see owners and due dates.

How I use the action log to track project tasks

I copy and paste actions from conference calls, team meetings and those chance conversations you have in the corridor into this. I can filter it by task owner or workstream lead when I am talking to someone and want to chase them up.

I can filter out the closed tasks without having to delete them – it’s simple, but it works for me. It’s the best way I have found to stay on top of all the things I’m supposed to be doing and what others are supposed to be doing as well.

Here’s what one reader had to say about this action register template:

Your action log has changed my life. As I’ve used it for a few weeks now it’s also starting to become a source of reassurance as I look at items now closed and think, “Phew I have done stuff”.

~ Caroline

And I’m giving it to you. If you want it. This free action log template is the one I use on all my projects.

It’s an Excel spreadsheet template will help you stay on top of your tasks. Feel free to recreate it in Google Sheets (which will take you all of 3 minutes) if you prefer Google Suite.

Sign up to access the Resource Library: I’ll message you back a link to the resource library where you can download this comms plan template

How to use the action log template

Think of this as your amazing To Do list.

You record the task, who is responsible for  it and what the latest updates are. You can add more updates as and when you need to, so that you keep the whole history of what is being done on that piece of work.

I like to record tasks that other people are responsible for as well. As a project manager, I’m responsible for checking in with others and making sure that they are doing the work that needs to be done.

In fact, making tasks transparent is one of the ways to get other people to take responsibility for their work.

Writing it down and sharing the list before each meeting makes it difficult for others to say that they didn’t know they had taken away an action from the previous meeting.

I talk about how to use an action log for your meeting action tracking and project management in the video below.

How to write an action item

As you can see from the examples below, the best practice is to start your action item with a verb.

• Create a slide deck
• Review the proposal from Finance
• Circulate vendor agreement
• Call Claire about the testing.

That helps focus the mind and keeps you on track with what actually needs to be done.

What’s in the action log template

This task tracking template is a really simple spreadsheet. You could probably come up with it yourself, but why bother when I’ve done it for you?

The spreadsheet includes columns to help you track:

• Action/task number – this makes it possible for you to easily refer to an action on the list instead of having to describe the work
• The task description
• Where the task originated from (did it arise from a meeting, an email, a corridor conversation? Categorize the tasks if it helps)
• The action owner who is responsible for doing the task
• The date the action was first raised (you can also include target completion date if you find that helpful to manage action priorities)
• Updates, so you can track each little step that is taken towards completing the action
• Action status: open, closed, on hold, complete etc, so you can easily filter out things that you don’t need to be paying attention to right now.

As it’s an Excel spreadsheet template, you can add or remove columns to make it work for you. Other things you might want to track include:

• Action type: If you have different types of actions you could include those.
• Related risks: If this action is the result of a risk, you can reference the risk ID number here
• Related issues: As above, if the action is something you are working on as a result of an open issue, you can refer to the issue ID in the table
• Notes: Any extra notes or links to documents.

Personally, I would keep your columns to the minimum. The fewer columns, the less work it takes to fill them in and keep them updated! Don’t make extra work for yourself.

How to keep track of meeting actions

List your meeting actions in an action log. After each meeting, copy and paste actions from the minutes into the log.

You could create an action log for meetings and one for other types of actions, but frankly I prefer to have everything in one place so there are fewer documents to look up.

I designed the template with project managers (me) in mind but actually it works well for anyone who needs to keep track of multiple actions. That makes it great for people who attend a lot of meetings and want to consolidate the actions in a single place.

When you get to the meeting, things will go more smoothly and you should be registering more progress, because people reviewed and completed their tasks before you met.

At least, that’s the theory!

In practice, most people need to be reminded of what they said they would do (especially on a large projects, or where they are managing multiple projects), so your task review needs to also include getting in touch with action owners and reminding them of the particular action they said they would complete.

You can adapt it as you see fit to make it work for you, add color coding or whatever you like.

What’s the difference between tasks on the action log and tasks on the schedule?

How do you decide whether a task is worthy of going on the project schedule, or whether it’s ‘just’ an action that can go in the log?

My rule of thumb is this:

If it’s an action that could have come from meeting minutes, then it goes in the action log.

All the small daily things that come up as you go about the work of managing the project can be included. For example, here are some tasks that you would not put in the schedule:

• Circulate a presentation following a meeting
• Follow up with another department about their input to the project
• Write an article for the staff magazine
• Organize team building or social events
• Phone someone to get their expert input on something
• Find out when something e.g. an approval meeting is happening and feed that back to the group
• Set up a meeting or organize follow up conversations
• Process purchase orders, quotes and invoices
• Prepare an ad hoc report as requested by the project sponsor

And so on.

Some of these are project admin activities. Some are small tasks that will take less than an hour.

I would just do them, email myself a reminder about them, create a calendar appointment to block out the time to do them or add them to a sticky note or to my notebook.

You shouldn’t fill up your schedule with those or you’ll constantly be updating it and that’s more work than recording things in a spreadsheet – and you project schedule will very soon be hundreds of lines.

Anything that represents a work package or deliverable needs to go on the project schedule.

Download the free action log template

Sign up to access the Resource Library here and I’ll message you back a link where you can download all of my free checklists, guides, and templates including the project action log.

The only thing I ask is that you don’t sell it on. As if you would!

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