Protocol is an informational and analytical document that records the course of discussions and decisions made at meetings, sessions, conferences, etc.
The protocol is compiled based on records (transcripts, audio recordings, video recordings) made directly during the meetings (sessions, conferences), and documents prepared in advance, such as texts of reports, speeches, memos, announcements, draft resolutions or decisions, agendas, lists of invitees, etc.
Based on the volume of recorded data, the protocol can be:
- Brief, which only mentions the issues discussed at the meetings (sessions, conferences), the names of the speakers, and the decisions made;
- Full, which, in addition to the above-mentioned information, contains edited records of all speakers’ speeches and participants’ discussions of the relevant agenda items;
- Verbatim, where the entire course of the meetings (sessions, conferences) is recorded word for word.
The protocol can be formatted on:
- A protocol form (if such a form is introduced in the company);
- The company’s general form;
- The form of the company’s structural unit (if the protocol of the meeting (session, conference) of the structural unit is being formatted);
- Blank A4 sheets of paper.
Protocol Requisites
The composition, content, and location of the protocol requisites must comply with the requirements established by the National Standard of Ukraine “Unified State System of Documentation. Unified System of Organizational and Administrative Documentation. Requirements for Document Formatting” (DSTU 4163:2020).
We have prepared samples of various types of protocols formatted according to DSTU 4163:2020.
Fill out the form, and we will send them to you.
When formatting the protocol, it is necessary to consider that:
- The full name of the company is indicated according to the charter or regulations of the company. The full name may be followed by the abbreviated name in parentheses or without them;
- The name of the company’s structural unit is indicated only in the protocols of meetings (sessions, conferences) of the structural unit;
- The document type name – PROTOCOL, is printed in capital letters in bold;
- The date of the protocol is the date of the meeting (session, conference), not the date of its final formatting or signing. If the meeting (session, conference) lasted several days, the dates of the first and last days of the meeting (session, conference) are indicated with a hyphen. For example: 20–21.01.2025, 31.03–01.04.2025;
- The registration index of the protocol is the serial number of the meeting (session, conference) within the business year, which usually coincides with the calendar year in companies. Protocols of elective bodies and their permanent commissions, deputy groups are registered within the period of their convocation; protocols of educational institutions, which characterize the educational process – within the academic year. The numbering is renewed with each new business year. For example, if the company’s Board meetings are held once a month, twelve protocols from No. 1 to No. 12 inclusive should be compiled and formatted during 2025;
- The place of compilation of the protocol is the locality where the meeting (session, conference) was directly held, not the locality where the company is actually registered, except for meetings held in a remote format;
- The heading of the protocol text should reflect the type of event – meeting, conference, session, etc., and the name of the collegial body (board, collegium, directorate, board of directors, supervisory board, etc.) or structural unit in the genitive case and logically combine with the document type name. For example: “Protocol of the General Meeting of the Society Members,” “Protocol of the Operational Meeting with the Company Manager,” “Protocol of the Expert Commission Meeting,” “Protocol of the Information and Analytical Department Meeting”;
- The protocol text consists of two parts – introductory and main.
In the introductory part of the text, the surnames, first names, and positions are indicated:
- The person elected to chair the meeting (session, conference) or the head of the permanent collegial body (commission);
- The secretary;
- Other present permanent members of the meeting (session, conference);
- Invited persons (if any);
as well as the agenda.
After the word “Present,” the surnames and first names of all permanent members present at the meeting (session, conference) are listed alphabetically by surname, followed by the invited persons. In the protocol of the general meeting of the labor collective or an extended meeting (conference), where the number of attendees exceeds 15 people, their composition is indicated quantitatively (in numbers and words), and a list of surnames is attached to the protocol, with a corresponding note: “The list of attendees is attached to the protocol.” For example:
Chairperson – SURNAME First name
Secretary – SURNAME First name
Present: SURNAMES and first names in alphabetical order of surnames
Invited: SURNAMES, first names, and positions in alphabetical order of surnames
Agenda:
_______________________________ (reporter – SURNAME, first name, position). _______________________________ (reporter – SURNAME, first name, position). …
The main part of the protocol text consists of sections, the content of which corresponds to the agenda items. The sections are numbered with Arabic numerals and structured according to the scheme: HEARD – SPOKE – DECIDED (or RESOLVED). The words “HEARD,” “SPOKE,” “DECIDED” (“RESOLVED”) are printed without quotation marks in capital letters without indentation from the left margin of the sheet, followed by a colon. Below the words “HEARD” and “SPOKE,” the surnames and first names of the speakers and participants are indicated in a paragraph, followed by a dash and the content of the report is presented in the third-person singular. Questions to the speaker and their answers are recorded in the order they are received. If the texts of reports, speeches, or announcements are attached separately, a note is made after the surname and first name: “The text of the report (speech, announcement) is attached to the protocol.” A decision is made on each agenda item, which is recorded below the word “DECIDED” or “RESOLVED” in a paragraph. Decisions containing several items are divided into points, which are numbered with Arabic numerals. Each point should clearly define: who is assigned, what exactly, and within what timeframe to perform. For example:
HEARD: SURNAME First name – ……………………………… .
SPOKE:
SURNAME First name – ……………………………….
SURNAME First name – ……………………………….
…
DECIDED:
1.1. ……………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………… .
1.2. …
If decisions on each item or individual items of the agenda are made by voting, the results of the voting are recorded in the corresponding sections of the protocol text before the decision (resolution) part, indicating the number of votes “for,” “against,” and “abstained.” If any of the attendees at the meeting (session, conference) has a special opinion on the adopted decision, it is presented on a separate sheet, signed, and attached to the protocol. For example:
VOTED:
“For” – ___ votes
“Against” – ___ votes
“Abstained” – ___ votes
Attachments to the protocol are numbered with Arabic numerals (e.g., Attachment 1), and references to these attachments are made in the corresponding sections of the protocol text: “attached,” “attached to the protocol.” The requisite “Note on the presence of attachments” is not formatted after the protocol text; The protocol is signed by the chairperson of the meeting (session, conference) or the head of the permanent collegial body (commission) and the secretary of the meeting (session, conference); In some cases, if specified by the regulations of the relevant collegial body (commission) or the company’s structural unit, the protocol is approved by the company manager. In this case, the approval stamp is formatted, consisting of the following elements: the word “APPROVED,” printed in capital letters without quotation marks and punctuation marks, the title of the position, the signature, the first name and surname of the manager, the date of approval.