What it is (why)
An action item is a discrete follow-up with an owner, due date, and status workflow. Action items close the loop after meetings, reviews, or initiative checkpoints without creating a full initiative for every task.
When to use it
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| “Sarah will send the vendor quote by Friday” | **Action item** |
| Multi-month program to improve a KPI | [Initiative](/help/initiatives) |
| Informal blocker from the team | [Observation](/help/observations-and-risks) |
| Tracked threat with severity | [Risk](/help/observations-and-risks) |
How to use it
Create an action item
- Open Action items from the sidebar.
- Click New action item (or create from the list page action).
- Enter title, description (optional), owner, and due date.
- Optionally link an initiative if the task belongs to a program.
- Set status: Open, In progress, Done, or Cancelled.
Manage over time
- Open an action item from the list to edit status, owner, or due date.
- Filter the list by status to see overdue or open items.
- Link or unlink initiatives on the detail/edit form.
Permissions follow RBAC v2: CanViewActionItems, CanCreateActionItems, CanEditActionItems, CanDeleteActionItems (see Roles and permissions).
Who typically owns it
- Managers create and assign action items for their teams
- Executives may assign cross-functional follow-ups from reviews
- Contributors complete assigned items and update status when permitted
Related entities
- Initiatives — optional parent program
- Weekly updates — surface blockers that may become action items
- Executive Briefings — weekly leadership deck
- AI Summary and Executive reviews — reviews often spawn follow-ups
Common mistakes
- Creating an initiative for every small task — clutters the performance model
- Leaving action items open with no owner — assign a person, not only a department
- No due date — items drift; set a realistic deadline
- Duplicating the same follow-up as both observation and action item — pick one tracking level