Introduction
Items are the most important blocks in agenda building - items are the things that will actually be discussed during a meeting and require an action from the forum. Items will also be included in shell minutes you export, with different drafting depending on how you have configured the item, as well as in run sheets and the Diligent Bookbuilder. All agendas would usually contain at least one item - sometimes upwards of 30 items.
Key information about items
Items:
can be indented inside a section
cannot have any agenda block indented inside them
can have a name, duration, action, paper or participants associated with them
Important: Items cannot be indented inside other items
It is common to want items to exist at a number of different levels of indentation however creating this depth is done using sections and items in combination - 1 item cannot be indented inside another.
For example:
to create item 1, you would simply drag and item block to the very top of the agenda canvas
to create item 1.1, you need to first create section 1, then drag an item block so it is indented inside that section
to create item 1.1.1, you need to first create section 1, then drag another section block so it is indented inside that section as section 1.1, then drag an item block so it is indented inside that section
Adding an item to an agenda
Adding an item to an agenda is as simple as dragging an item block from the right hand side of the agenda canvas and dropping it onto the agenda canvas where you want it. For more information on agenda building, click here.
Configuring or editing item details
Once you have an item block on your agenda canvas, you can configure or edit that item's details by:
clicking the edit icon on the right hand side of the item, which will launch a side panel
editing the name of the item
editing the duration of the item - this can be done either by clicking the drop down and making a section from the available options, or typing any number
designating whether the item has a paper or not using the toggle
(optional) if the item has a paper, you can also include a link to the paper
selecting the action from the dropdown - available actions are Approval, Discussion, Noting or Recommendation
(optional) if you know what the proposed resolution for the item is, you can also add that in by clicking the proposed resolution box
(optional) if you would like to include a note in your run sheet, you can add that in by clicking the run sheet note box
once you are finished, you can exit the item by clicking Done or clicking out of the side panel
Worth knowing: Duration can be set to zero
Although it is unusual, it may occasionally be useful to set the duration of an agenda item to zero. This may be done by typing '0' into the duration field in the item side panel.
Managing item attendance
Item attendance is displayed on each item via the attendance icons highlighted below, which show:
the number of people presenting the item (1 in the example below)
the names of the presenters (Alicia Spinnet in the example below)
the total number of people attending the item, including the presenters (12 in the example below).
To manage item attendance, click on the attendance icons, which will launch a side panel. For a detailed article on managing item attendance click here.
Deleting an item
To delete an item:
click the edit icon on the right hand side of the item, which will launch a side panel
click the Delete button
Quick editing an item name
You can also quickly edit the name of a section without opening the side panel by:
clicking on the item name
once you do this, it will become editable
once you have made your changes, simply hit return or click somewhere else on the screen.