Working with agenda items

Create and manage new agenda items

Staff and members can create and submit new agenda items to be included in a meeting agenda. Each agenda item must be approved by the approval group before it’s added to the meeting agenda.

The approval group consists of other admins, staff, or members assigned to reject or approve agenda items after they’re submitted. For more information, see how to create and manage approval groups.

Staff or members can manage the agenda items, including approve and reject agenda items submitted by other members and staff, on the Agenda items page. This section describes the Agenda items page and explains how staff or members can create, manage, approve, and reject agenda items in Community.

1. Select Agenda items on the Navigation Bar on your home page. The Agenda items page displays.

2. An indicator appears on the Pending tab in case agenda items are waiting your approval. The indicator also shows the number of pending items. When there are no agenda items to review, an empty state message displays.

3. Select an agenda item to see more details.

4. The approval group is displayed for each agenda item. Use the approval group to identify who will review the agenda item.

5. The tabs on top of the page allow you to view the agenda items by the following status: Draft, Submitted, Pending, Rejected, or Added.

Create and manage approval groups

Approvals are required before a new agenda item is added to a meeting agenda. Approval groups include admins, staff, or members who are assigned to approve agenda items after they’re submitted. This ensures the final meeting agenda includes accurate, relevant, and timely information. Some approval groups contain subsets of members or categories who need to approve the agenda item in a specific order. The members of an approval group, categories, and the order of approvals are created during the process of implementing Community. This section explains the significance of approval groups when adding new agenda items.

1. You can view the approval group on an agenda item’s row after you submit it.

2. To see details about the order of approvals, select the approval group. The Approval progress panel expands.

3. To scroll through long approval groups, select the ellipsis.

   1. To scroll backward, select the ellipsis on the left.

   2. To scroll forward, select the ellipsis on the right.

4. Some approval groups contain categories of members. Categories are subsets of the approval group whose members need to approve the agenda item in a specific order.

5. After a member in the first category approves the agenda item, an arrow points to the next category.

6. A check icon is visible under the name of members in the approval group who approved the agenda item.

7. An x icon is visible under the name of members in the approval group who rejected the agenda item.

Create agenda item

You can create a new agenda item, add it to a meeting, and then submit it for review. This section describes how to create an agenda item.

Create an agenda item

Create an agenda item for inclusion in a meeting agenda.

1. To create a new agenda item, select +Agenda item. The Edit agenda item page opens.

2. Enter a title in the Agenda Item Title field.

3. Add a description in the Agenda Item Description field.

4. Insert a proposal for action in the Recommended Action field.

5. Format the text for the recommended action using the inline toolbar.

6. To add an attachment, select the attachment icon.

7. Your edits are saved automatically. After saved, the agenda item moves to the Draft tab.

Add agenda item to a meeting

You can specify to which meeting you’d like to add the agenda item, including the agenda section for the meeting. You can also add comments.

1. Go to the Draft tab and select the relevant agenda item. The Edit agenda item page opens.

2. To add the new agenda item to an existing meeting, choose Select Meeting. The Select meeting dialog displays.

3. Select the relevant meeting group in the Meeting Group dropdown menu.

4. Select the relevant meeting in the Meeting dropdown menu.

   Note

   Agenda items can only be added to a future meeting.

5. Select the relevant section name in the Section dropdown menu.

6. You have the option to add comments in the Comments (Optional) field.

7. To save your changes and add agenda to the meeting, choose Select Meeting. The agenda remains under the Draft tab until you submit it.

Submit agenda item

When you submit an agenda item, it is sent to the approval group for review.

1. Go to the Draft tab, then select the relevant agenda item.

2. To submit an agenda item, select it. The Edit agenda item page displays. Choose Submit Item.

3. The Submit for approval dialog displays. Select down arrow in the Approval Group menu and choose the relevant approval group from the list that appears.

   Note

   If you have purchased Community Essentials, you can't choose the approval group.

4. The members of the approval group also display.

5. To save your changes and submit the agenda item, select Submit for Approval. The agenda item is now moved to the Submitted tab.

Manage agenda item

After an agenda item is submitted, you can manage its progress from submitted to approved. After the item is reviewed by members of the approval group, you can view whether members of the approval group have approved or rejected it, including any comments. You can also edit the agenda items during the review process.

This section describes how to view actions and comments from the approval group. It also includes instructions for changing the meeting, canceling the approval, duplicating the agenda item, deleting it, and resubmitting it.

View submitted agenda items

You can view details about submitted agenda items, including their status and comments from the approval group.

1. To view a list of the agenda items you have submitted, select the Submitted tab.

2. Select an agenda item. The Edit agenda item page opens.

3. To see how the agenda item has progressed through the approval process, select Comments/Details on the top right.

4. View details about the agenda item, including its status, in the Agenda items details section of the panel that now displays on the right of the page.

5. View any comments from members of the approval group in the Comments section of the same panel.

6. To close the panel, select Comments/Details again.

Change meeting

You can change the meeting to which an agenda item is added.

1. To view a list of the agenda items you have submitted, select the Submitted tab.

2. Select options on the far right of the relevant agenda item, then select Change meeting. The Change meeting dialog displays.

3. The current selection displays by default in the Meeting menu.

4. To change the meeting, select the new meeting from the list of meetings that displays in the Meeting dropdown menu.

5. To add the agenda item to a new meeting section, select the relevant section in the Section dropdown menu.

6. To save your changes and change the meeting for an agenda, choose Select Meeting.

Cancel approval

You can cancel an approval to prevent an agenda item from being reviewed by the approval group. This will end the approval process.

1. To view a list of the agenda items you have submitted, select the Submitted tab.

2. Select options on the far right of the relevant agenda item, then select Cancel approval.

3. A confirmation message displays

4. Select Cancel Approval to confirm. The approval is removed, and the agenda item is moved back to the Draft tab.

Duplicate agenda item

You can create a copy of an agenda item by duplicating it.

1. To view a list of the agenda items you have submitted, select the Submitted tab.

2. Select options on the far right of the relevant agenda item, then select Duplicate. The Edit agenda item page appears.

3. The name of the original agenda item displays in the Agenda Item Title field with the text “Copy of” displayed in front of the name.

4. The Agenda Item Description and Recommended Action fields also include original text from the agenda item. Enter or update the text, as needed, in both fields.

5. Your changes are saved automatically. The duplicate agenda item is moved to the Draft tab. From here, you can add the agenda item to a meeting or submit it.

Delete agenda item

You can delete an agenda item to remove all information associated with it.

1. To view a list of the agenda items you have submitted, select the Submitted tab.

2. Select options on the far right of the relevant agenda item, then select Delete.

3. A confirmation message displays. Select Delete to confirm. The agenda item is no longer available on the Agenda items page.

Resubmit agenda item

If an agenda item is rejected by one or more members of the approval group, you can resubmit it for approval.

1. To view a list of rejected agenda items, select the Rejected tab.

2. Select options on the far right of the rejected agenda item.

3. Select Resubmit for approval. The Submit for approval dialog appears.

4. The current approval group displays on the Approval Group menu.

5. Select the new approval group from the list of approval groups that displays in the dropdown menu.

6. Select Submit for Approval. The agenda item is now moved to the Submitted tab.

Approve agenda item

When you approve an agenda item, you are approving it for inclusion in the meeting agenda. Some agenda items include attachments to which you can add annotations and feedback to share with the submitter. This section describes how to approve an agenda item.

1. To view a list of agenda items pending your review, select the Pending tab.

2. To see more details about an agenda item, select it.

3. The Approve agenda item page opens. If the agenda item includes an attachment, you can view it on the bottom of the page.

4. To expand the view, select Full screen.

5. You can share feedback with the item submitter using the annotation toolbar. Select a tool to add an annotation, including freehand markup, highlighter, or comments. Your annotations are saved automatically.

6. To remove an annotation, select it, and then select the delete icon that appears on the inline menu.

   Note

   Members of the approval group, the submitter, and the admins can view, add, and remove annotations while the agenda item is being reviewed. The annotations are not visible on the meeting agenda.

7. To approve the agenda item, select Approve.

8. The Approve dialog displays. Add a comment, if needed, in the Comments (Optional) field. To complete the approval, select Approve Item. The item is moved to the Added tab.

Reject agenda item

You can remove an agenda item from the meeting agenda by rejecting it. Some agenda items include attachments to which you can add annotations and feedback to share with the submitter. This section describes how to reject an agenda item.

1. To view a list of agenda items pending your review, select the Pending tab.

2. Select an agenda item to see more details.

3. The Approve agenda item page displays. If the agenda item includes an attachment, you can view it on the bottom of the page.

4. To expand the view, select Full screen.

5. You can share feedback with the item submitter using the annotation toolbar. Select a tool to add an annotation, including freehand markup, highlighter, or comments. Your annotations are saved automatically.

6. To remove an annotation, select it, and then select the delete icon that appears on the inline menu.

   Note

   Members of the approval group, the submitter, and the admins can view, add, and remove annotations while the agenda item is being reviewed. The annotations are not visible on the meeting agenda.

7. To reject the agenda item, select Reject.

8. The Reject dialog displays. Add a comment to accompany the rejection, then select Reject Item. The item is now moved to the Rejected tab.