OAC (Owner-Architect-Contractor) Meeting Minutes
The formal written record of a regular Owner-Architect-Contractor coordination meeting, capturing decisions made, action items assigned, and open issues discussed, serving as an official project record that can later resolve disputes over what was actually agreed to.
Why it matters
A verbal decision made in a meeting only becomes part of the project's actual record once it's written into the minutes, everyone's memory of a conversation tends to drift, but the minutes don't.
On a real project
An owner verbally approves a minor scope adjustment during a weekly OAC meeting, and the meeting minutes capture that approval as a specific, dated action item rather than leaving it as an unrecorded verbal understanding.
Who this matters most to
A Project Manager typically prepares and distributes OAC meeting minutes, making sure decisions made in the room actually make it into the project's written record.
Where this goes wrong
A verbal decision made during an OAC meeting never makes it into the formal meeting minutes. Months later, when a dispute arises over whether the owner actually approved a change, there's no written record supporting either side's memory of the conversation.