Free board pack template: pack structure, paper tracker and decision paper

A board pack should make it clear what the board needs to decide, what has changed and which evidence supports the recommendation. The problem is rarely a shortage of pages. It is that the decision is buried under them.

This free board pack template has two parts, both set out in full below: the pack document's section and heading sequence, including a filled decision-paper example, and a tracker with three tables for papers, the timed agenda, and decisions and actions. Build them in Word and Excel, or Google Docs and Sheets, or start from the ready-made board pack desk template in Plexii. Adapt both to your organisation's constitution, board policies and advice from its governance professionals.

To keep the agenda, papers and chasing list together, download Plexii free. The personal workspace is free forever on Mac and Windows. The template also works as an ordinary document and spreadsheet; it does not require Plexii.

Begin with the meeting, not last month's document

Before requesting papers, ask the chair which decisions need this meeting and which discussions can wait. That gives the pack a purpose and a workable agenda.

Then agree a circulation date by working backwards from the meeting. Leave time for owners to correct papers, finance to check numbers and the chair to review the sequence. There is no universal deadline suitable for every board. Follow the notice and circulation requirements that apply to yours.

The template is a working structure, not a claim that a particular pack satisfies statutory obligations. Legal requirements, conflicts procedures and retention rules belong to your organisation's governance process.

Meeting details: make the version identifiable

The first section of the pack document records the organisation, meeting date, local time zone, location or joining link, chair, secretary, version, circulation date and confidentiality classification.

Use a version convention people can recognise. “Board pack 18 November, circulated 12 November, version 1” is clearer than “final latest revised”. If a paper changes after circulation, name the replacement, explain what changed and make the current version obvious.

Joining details should be checked by someone other than the organiser. A working link in your own calendar does not prove that an external director can join. Keep restricted credentials out of a broadly distributed copy.

Executive summary: tell directors what changed

The Executive summary section asks for three changes since the previous meeting, decisions requested and significant uncertainties. Keep it short enough to read before the individual papers.

An illustrative entry might say: “Workshop attendance is within plan. Equipment inspection identified a ventilation issue. A replacement decision is requested before the next round of practical sessions.” Each statement should point to the relevant paper rather than introduce a fact found nowhere else.

Do not use the summary as a cheerful rewrite of bad news. If a financial forecast depends on an unconfirmed grant, say so. The board needs to distinguish an actual result, a forecast and an assumption before it can ask useful questions.

Agenda: state the purpose of each item

The agenda fields are item number, title, purpose, presenter role, minutes and paper reference. Use Decision, Discussion, Information or Approval deliberately.

“Equipment update” does not tell a director how to prepare. “Replacement extraction equipment: approve expenditure limit” does. A decision item needs a recommendation and enough evidence to weigh the options; an information item may need only a short note.

The tracker's Agenda table shows declarations and previous minutes, performance and finance, the equipment decision, risk and assurance, and actions and next meeting. Its times are an example, not a mandatory meeting length. Adjust the allocation so the significant decision is not left to the final five minutes.

Use references that appear on both the agenda and papers. In the example, B03 identifies the extraction-equipment paper in the tracker. A director should not need to guess which attachment belongs to item three.

Previous minutes and actions: close the loop

Attach proposed minutes separately according to your normal process. The pack's Previous minutes and actions section is a prompt to review the outstanding commitments, not a substitute for the minutes themselves.

In the tracker's Decisions and actions table, record reference, type, text, owner role, due date, status and evidence. The sample action asks the finance lead to confirm the reserve balance before an equipment order is placed.

A recommendation in a paper is not yet a board resolution. After the meeting, record what was actually adopted, including conditions. If approval depended on a satisfactory installation check, carry that condition into the action record. “Approved” on its own would conceal something important.

Performance and finance: show the comparison

This section asks for the reporting period, actual against budget, variance and explanation, cash position and forecast, assumptions and operational indicators with definitions.

For a community workshop organisation, useful measures might include sessions delivered, places filled and equipment availability. Choose measures that answer the board's questions about the organisation, not everything the systems can export.

Financial tables should identify units and period. A year-to-date number cannot be compared casually with a single month's budget. Explain significant differences beside the numbers, and separate cash held today from expected future income.

If a decision paper uses a budget balance, check that it agrees with the finance report. Inconsistent numbers across papers force the meeting to reconcile the pack instead of making the decision.

Risk and assurance: say what has moved

The Risk and assurance section asks for the risk, change since last meeting, impact, control, assurance evidence, owner role and next review.

For the equipment example, the issue is not merely “maintenance”. The board needs to know what the inspection found, what activities are paused or restricted, who can assess the proposed remedy and what evidence will confirm it is safe to resume.

Do not treat management's statement that a control exists as the same thing as evidence that it works. Distinguish the action taken from the check performed. Bring emerging issues forward rather than making directors discover them in a long unchanged register.

To keep the pack, tracker and chasing list on one Plexii desk, download Plexii free.

Decision paper: make the choice explicit

The pack document uses a complete heading sequence: decision sought, recommendation, options including doing nothing, evidence, financial and operational implications, risks, consultation, proposed resolution, implementation owner and review date.

Its filled example requests approval of up to $18,000 for replacement workshop extraction equipment. A $5,000 repair is the alternative; remaining life is uncertain. Doing nothing means ceasing dust-producing sessions until a safe arrangement is confirmed. These are fictional figures, not supplier quotes.

The recommendation is conditional: choose replacement subject to a satisfactory installation check. Evidence is an inspection report and two current written quotes. Finance must confirm the equipment reserve balance. The facilities lead owns implementation and returns completion evidence to the next meeting.

Notice what that structure does. It separates the preferred option from its conditions, identifies the cost of doing nothing and names who must act afterwards. Replace the example with your real evidence rather than copying its conclusion.

Appendices and the papers tracker

Use the Appendix register for reference, attachment title, version or date and access restrictions. Supporting quotes belong there; the reason for the decision belongs in the paper itself.

The tracker's Papers table lists reference, paper, owner role, due date, status, purpose and version or source. Track missing papers before circulation. A status such as In review should mean somebody identifiable is reviewing it, not simply that the deadline is approaching.

Plexii's executive-assistant workspace shows the same practical separation: a table for papers, a page for the agenda and meeting arrangements alongside them. The board pack desk template is another way to organise the preparation. You can explore how desks hold related work in the interactive demo. See the by-role collection for related working systems and organising work by project for the underlying desk approach.

Circulate a pack people can use

Before release, check that agenda references match attachments, totals reconcile and every requested decision has a responsible presenter. Open the pack using a director's expected access route, not only the organiser's account.

After the meeting, preserve the circulated version and handle replacements under your governance policy. Pass outstanding actions into the next cycle. If another assistant takes over, a project handover checklist helps preserve deadlines and access without copying sensitive board content into a general note.

Common questions

Is a board pack the same as the meeting minutes? No. The pack supports preparation and decisions before and during the meeting. Minutes record the meeting under your organisation's process. Keep the two clearly distinguished.

How long should a board pack be? Long enough to support the required decisions without burying them. There is no page limit in this template. Use short decision papers and put supporting detail in referenced appendices.

Can I use this for a not-for-profit board? Yes, as a starting structure. Adapt the reporting measures and follow the organisation's constitution, funder obligations and governance advice. The template does not establish legal compliance.

What belongs in the financial paper? The relevant reporting period, actual and budget comparisons, significant variances, cash position, forecast and assumptions. Your finance professional should determine the detail appropriate to the organisation.

What if a paper arrives after circulation? Follow the chair's agreed process. Identify the late or replacement paper and its version clearly; do not silently replace a file and assume everyone has read the change.

Should confidential papers sit in a public link? Not unless your organisation has explicitly approved public release. Apply appropriate access restrictions, distribution and retention rules to the pack and its attachments.