Creating a meeting in BoardWorks allows administrators to define meeting details, manage attendees and permissions, prepare the agenda and Board Book, and publish the meeting so attendees can review materials in advance.
Meeting creation is completed using a three‑step wizard that guides administrators through:
Entering meeting information such as the committee, title, date, time, and attendance type
Reviewing and managing attendees and access permissions
Adding the agenda and supporting documents that form the Board Book
This same wizard-based process is also used when updating an existing meeting. For more information, see Updating Existing Meetings.
Please note: Meetings are visible only to attendees after the meeting has been published.
Creating a new meeting
To create a new meeting:
Select the Quick Add button.
Choose Meeting.
Please note: The Quick Add button is available from all screens in BoardWorks.
The New Meeting screen appears and launches a wizard that guides administrators through the 3 steps required to create and publish a meeting
Meeting Information
Attendees
Documents
Please note: Publishing a meeting allows directors and other users to view the meeting details.
Please note: All Administrators may view and or edit a meeting at any time.
Adding Meeting Information
The top of the screen provides easy access to each step in the meeting creation wizard. As each step is completed, a checkmark replaces the step number, indicating progress through the setup process.
If needed, select Save to store the meeting details and continue working on the meeting later without losing your progress. Select Cancel if you do not want to save your changes.
Please note: The button displayed next to Save and Cancel updates based on the current step in the wizard and moves the process forward.
In the example shown, the meeting information has been completed, and the next available action is Add Attendees.
Please note: As steps progressed a notice that the "Meeting or Event Updated Successfully" informing the meeting details has been saved.
Step 1: Meeting Information
In the first step of the wizard, you must enter the basic details for the meeting.
Select Committee
Choose the committee that is required to attend the meeting from the drop‑down list. The selected committee determines which directors are associated with the meeting and controls who can be added as attendees in later steps.Title
Enter the meeting title. This is the name of the meeting that attendees will see throughout BoardWorks, including in meeting lists, calendars, and notifications. Choose a title that clearly identifies the purpose of the meeting.Start Date & Time
Specify the date and time when the meeting begins. This information is used to display the meeting in calendars and schedules.End Date & Time
Specify the date and time when the meeting ends. The end time is required to accurately display the meeting duration and ensure proper scheduling.Time Zone
Select the time zone in which the meeting will take place. All dates and times for the meeting are displayed according to the selected time zone, ensuring attendees see consistent and accurate timing information.Attendance
Select the preferred attendance options for the meeting. You can choose in person, online, or both. Depending on your selection, additional fields may be displayed (Location, Online Meeting URL)
Optional timing settings
All Day Event
Select this option to create an all‑day meeting that does not start or end at a specific time.
Attendance options
Attendance
Select how attendees will participate in the meeting. You can choose:In Person
Online
Both
Depending on the attendance options selected, additional fields may be displayed.
Add meeting details to Outlook
Select this option to include meeting details in Outlook calendar invitations using the Microsoft 365 integration. When enabled, BoardWorks sends a calendar invite that includes the meeting title, date, time, and location, allowing attendees to access the meeting directly from their Outlook calendar.For more information about integrations available in BoardWorks, see Microsoft 365 Integration.
Meeting Details or Dial‑In Details
Enter online meeting information such as dial‑in numbers, meeting or conference IDs, or passcodes and PINs.Notes
Add optional notes related to the meeting. Notes are visible to users with access to the meeting.
Step 2: Add Attendees
The second step in the meeting creation wizard is Add Attendees.
By default, attendees are automatically populated based on the directors who belong to the committee selected in Step 1. This ensures the appropriate participants are included without requiring manual selection.
If needed, administrators can override the default attendee settings by selecting the Security & Permissions row or the Attendees row. From there, administrators can review and update who will attend the meeting and adjust access as required.
Security & Permissions and Group Access
Within Step 2: Add Attendees, administrators can manage how meeting access and attendance are controlled using Security & Permissions.
Group Access
Group Access determines whether meeting access is managed automatically based on committee membership.
When Group Access is enabled:
BoardWorks manages meeting access using the committee’s current and active membership.
If committee membership changes, such as users being added or removed, meeting access and permissions are updated automatically.
New committee members will gain access to the meeting without requiring manual changes.
When Group Access is disabled:
Administrators manually manage meeting access by selecting individual users.
Changes to committee membership do not automatically update attendee access or permissions.
Administrators must add or remove attendees directly to control who can access the meeting.
Any manual changes to meeting access require the meeting to be unpublished and then republished for the updates to take effect.
Please note: Group Access is enabled by default and is recommended when meeting access should reflect live committee membership. Disable Group Access only when one or more users who belong to the selected committee should be restricted from accessing the meeting.
Please Note: Group Access settings can be overridden at the document level if only certain attendees should have access to specific documents.
Add or Removing Additional Attendees
If additional attendees are needed, or if Group Access has been disabled and attendance is being managed manually, administrators can add or remove attendees from the Attendees section.
To manage attendees:
Expand the Attendees row under Security & Permissions.
Attendees are grouped by Committee, Officer Groups, Other Users and External Users.
Use the expand arrow next to a committee or group name to view individual users.
In the Access column, select or clear the checkbox next to a user’s name to grant or remove access to the meeting.
Selecting the checkbox grants the user access to the meeting. Clearing the checkbox removes the user’s access.
This view allows administrators to:
Include additional users who are not part of the selected committee.
Exclude specific users from a committee when Group Access is disabled.
Review at a glance which users currently have access to the meeting.
Attendees are organized into several sections. The following sections explain how each attendee group is managed and how access is applied.
Administrators
Full BoardWorks Administrators are handled differently in meetings from other attendees.
Administrators:
Are automatically included in all meetings.
Cannot be deselected or restricted from accessing meeting content.
Always retain full access to meeting details, documents, and actions.
This behavior exists because administrators have full access across BoardWorks by definition of their role.
For more information about administrator access and other user roles, see BoardWorks User Roles & Permissions.
Selected Committee
The Selected Committee section displays the directors who belong to the committee chosen in Step 1 of the meeting creation wizard.
When Group Access is enabled:
All directors in the selected committee are included as attendees by default.
The Access checkboxes for committee members are greyed out and cannot be modified.
Meeting access for committee members is managed automatically based on live committee membership.
Because Group Access controls attendance dynamically, individual users cannot be restricted while this option is enabled.
If a specific committee member needs to be restricted from accessing the meeting:
Go to the Security & Permissions section.
Disable Group Access.
Return to the Selected Committee section.
Once Group Access is disabled:
The access checkboxes become active.
Administrators can deselect individual users to restrict their access to the meeting.
Attendance is managed manually rather than through committee membership.
Officer Groups
Officer Groups that are associated with the selected committee appear as optional attendees for the meeting.
Officer Group members are not selected by default and must be added manually.
Administrators can include Officer Group attendees in one of two ways:
Select the checkbox next to the Officer Group name to include all members of the group at once.
Expand the Officer Group and select individual members to include only specific members of the group in the meeting.
This flexibility allows administrators to:
Quickly include an entire Officer Group when appropriate.
Limit access to only certain group members when attendance should be restricted.
Officer Group attendance is always managed manually and is not affected by Group Access settings for committee members.
Other Users
The Other Users section displays active users in BoardWorks who are not members of the selected committee or any associated Officer Group for the meeting.
These users may belong to:
Other committees on the board
Other Officer Groups
No committee or Officer Group related to the meeting
Because these users fall outside the selected committee and Group Access rules, their attendance is always managed manually.
Administrators can include Other Users in one of two ways:
Select the checkbox next to Other Users to include all users in the group.
Expand the section and select individual users to include only specific attendees.
This option allows administrators to:
Add relevant users who are not formally part of the meeting’s committee.
Include cross‑committee participants when needed.
Control access independently of Group Access settings.
Other Users can be added or removed at any time while configuring attendees, subject to standard meeting publishing rules.
External Attendees
The External Attendees section allows administrators to invite external participants to a meeting by email and grant them temporary, meeting‑specific access.
External Attendees are not required to have a BoardWorks account and are given access only to the meeting and materials you choose. This makes it easy to involve outside participants while keeping meeting content secure.
Common use cases for External Attendees include:
Consultants
Auditors
Presenters
Community Members
Guest participants
To add an External Attendee:
Enter the attendee’s email address.
Grant access to the meeting during the attendee configuration process.
External Attendees receive secure access to the meeting and can view only the content made available to them. Their access is limited to that specific meeting and does not extend to other meetings or areas of BoardWorks.
This option provides a simple and secure way to include external expertise in meetings without managing full user accounts.
Adding an External Attendee
To add an external attendee:
Expand the External Attendees section.
Enter the attendee’s Full Name.
Enter the attendee’s Email Address.
Select Add External User.
Once added, the external attendee is associated with the meeting and receives access only to the meeting and materials that are shared with them.
Once all your attendees are added to the meeting, we can move onto Step 3 by clicking on Add Documents.
Step 3: Create the Board book and Agenda
The third and final step in the meeting setup wizard is adding the agenda and supporting documents for the meeting.
These materials make up the Board Book and provide attendees with the information they need to prepare for and participate in the meeting.
BoardWorks supports two methods for creating and managing a meeting agenda:
System‑generated agenda using the BoardWorks Agenda Builder
User‑generated agenda by uploading an existing agenda document
Administrators can choose the method that best fits their workflow.
Option 1: System‑Generated Agenda using the BoardWorks Agenda Builder
The Agenda Builder allows BoardWorks to automatically create the meeting agenda directly within BoardWorks based on the documents uploaded to create the Board book.
To create a meeting using the BoardWorks Agenda Builder, select Create Agenda within Step 3 of the meeting setup wizard.
Uploading agenda items
Agenda items can be added by uploading files into the agenda builder area.
Administrators can upload files by:
Selecting Select files to upload from their computer
Selecting Select OneDrive files to upload using the Microsoft 365 integration
Dragging and dropping supported files into the upload area
Only supported file types can be uploaded, including PDF, XLS, XLSX, DOC, DOCX, PPT, and PPTX files. Any non-PDF documents uploaded to a BoardWorks meeting will be converted to a PDF automatically.
Each uploaded document is added as an individual agenda item and appears in the agenda table below. The agenda item title will be inherited from the file name of the document uploaded.
OneDrive synchronization behavior
When a meeting document is uploaded from OneDrive and the meeting has not yet been published, the agenda item in BoardWorks remains linked to the source document in OneDrive.
While the meeting remains unpublished:
Updates made to the document in OneDrive automatically sync back into BoardWorks.
The most current version of the document is always reflected in the meeting.
Once the meeting is published, the document is converted to a static version within BoardWorks. After publishing, further edits made in OneDrive will no longer sync to the meeting agenda.
This behavior allows administrators to continue refining the document in OneDrive during meeting preparation while ensuring BoardWorks always reflects the latest version prior to publishing.
Agenda item layout and details
Once agenda items are uploaded, they appear in a structured table with the following columns:
Time
Agenda Item
Presenters
Documents
Run Time
Settings
Administrators can review and manage agenda items directly from this table as the agenda takes shape.
Assigning presenters and run times
For each agenda item, administrators can:
Assign one or more presenters from the list of meeting attendees. Presenters who are not listed as attendees can also be added manually by typing their name in the Presenters field.
Specify a run time to indicate how long the agenda item is expected to take.
As run times are applied to agenda items, the Time column updates automatically based on the run time set for preceding agenda items, helping establish the overall meeting timeline.
These settings help define the structure, flow, and timing of the meeting.
Managing agenda items
Additional actions are available within the Agenda Builder to help organize and refine the meeting agenda.
Administrators can:
Select Add Agenda Item to create a generic, configurable agenda item without uploading a document. This is useful for verbal updates or when building the overall agenda structure before documents are available.
Use Re‑Order to change the sequence of agenda items by dragging them up or down in the agenda list.
Use Sort to return to the default order of the documents
Access additional item‑level options using the controls associated with each agenda item.
These tools allow administrators to adjust and finalize the agenda as needed before publishing the meeting.
Agenda Item Settings
Additional actions are available for each agenda item using the settings icon located to the right of the agenda item. These options allow administrators to control access, update files, and adjust the structure and formatting of the agenda.
Permissions | Allows administrators to restrict, define and manage which attendees have access to the specific agenda item and its associated document. |
External Attendee Permissions | Allows administrators to restrict, define and manage which external attendees have access to the specific agenda item and its associated document. |
Rename File | Allows administrators to change the file name of the document attached to the agenda item. Note: Renaming the file does not change the agenda item title. To rename the agenda item itself, use the agenda item editing options. |
Replace with file from Computer | Replaces the current document with a different file selected from the administrator’s computer. |
Replace file from OneDrive | Replaces the current document with a different file selected from Microsoft OneDrive |
Replace with file from Collaboration Workspace | Replaces the current document with a file selected from a Collaboration Workspace. |
Delete File | Removes the document attached to the agenda item. Note: If the document exists in a Collaboration Workspace, the original file remains available there. |
Delete Item | Deletes the Agenda item and the file attached to it. Please note: the original file will remain if available in a collaboration workspace. |
Make Header | Converts an agenda item into a header. Headers are used for formatting and organization and do not include run times or associated files. |
Make Break | Converts an agenda item into a break. Breaks can have a run time but do not include associated documents. |
Make Sub-Item | Nests the selected agenda item under another agenda item, allowing multiple levels of agenda structure. Note: Multiple levels of sub‑items are supported. Formatting options for sub‑items can be configured separately. |
Insert Items Above | Creates a new agenda item above the selected item. Note: The type of item created, standard item or sub‑item, depends on the item from which this action is selected. |
Add Sub Item | Creates a new sub‑item directly beneath a standard agenda item. |
Editing and previewing agenda items
Administrators can make changes to agenda items directly from the agenda builder.
To edit the agenda item name, select the agenda item title and update the text as needed.
To modify agenda formatting, including headers, breaks, and sub‑items, select the settings icon located to the left of the agenda item list.
After uploading the meeting documents to build the Board Book, you can preview the agenda that BoardWorks generates by selecting Preview Agenda. A new browser tab opens showing the BoardWorks‑generated agenda exactly as meeting attendees will see it.
The BoardWorks‑generated agenda is branded with your organization’s logo by default and uses the standard BoardWorks color scheme. This color scheme can be customized to match your corporate branding, including colors and overall look and feel.
To customize the appearance of the BoardWorks agenda, select Configure Agenda.
To customize the appearance of the BoardWorks agenda, select Configure Agenda.
Configuring the Agenda Appearance
The Configure Agenda panel allows administrators to customize the color scheme of a BoardWorks‑generated agenda to match their organization’s branding.
Within this panel, you can configure the following agenda elements:
Agenda Header
Agenda Columns
Page Header
Page Title Text
Breaks
Headers
For each element, click the color selector to:
Choose a color using the visual color spectrum
Enter a HEX color value
Enter CMYK values for precise brand matching
As colors are updated, the agenda appearance can be reviewed before saving.
Additional configuration options
The Save this as new agenda default color option allows administrators to store the selected color scheme as the default for future BoardWorks‑generated agendas.
At the bottom of the panel, administrators can choose:
Reset to revert to the default BoardWorks color scheme
Cancel to exit without saving changes
Preview Agenda to review the agenda with the selected colors
Save to apply the color changes to the agenda
Why this configuration matters
Customizing the agenda appearance helps ensure BoardWorks‑generated agendas:
Align with corporate branding standards
Maintain a professional and consistent look
Provide clear visual separation between agenda sections and content
This configuration applies only to BoardWorks‑generated agendas created using the Agenda Builder.
Using the Upload Agenda Function
As mentioned earlier, administrators can create meeting agendas in BoardWorks using two different methods. This section describes using the Upload Agenda function.
The Upload Agenda function allows administrators to use an agenda that was created outside of BoardWorks and attach it directly to a meeting. When this option is used, the uploaded document becomes the meeting agenda and replaces the BoardWorks‑generated agenda.
This approach is ideal when an agenda is prepared externally and does not need to be built, structured, or managed using the BoardWorks Agenda Builder.
When Upload Agenda is selected, the Upload Custom Agenda Document panel opens. This panel allows administrators to upload an externally prepared agenda and use it as the meeting agenda.
Within this panel, administrators have three options for uploading an agenda document:
Select from Computer
Allows you to browse your local computer and upload an agenda file directly.
Select from Collaboration Workspace
Allows you to choose an existing agenda document from a Collaboration Workspace and attach it to the meeting.
Select from OneDrive
Allows you to upload an agenda document from OneDrive using the Microsoft 365 integration.
Administrators can also drag and drop a file from Windows Explorer or Finder directly into the upload area to begin the upload.
OneDrive synchronization behavior
When an agenda is uploaded using Select from OneDrive and the meeting has not yet been published, the agenda document in BoardWorks remains synced to the source file in OneDrive.
While the meeting is unpublished:
Any updates made to the agenda document in OneDrive automatically sync back into BoardWorks.
The uploaded agenda in BoardWorks always reflects the most recent version of the file.
Once the meeting is published, the agenda document is converted to a static version within BoardWorks. After publishing, changes made to the source file in OneDrive will no longer sync to the meeting agenda.
This behavior allows administrators to continue refining the agenda in OneDrive during meeting preparation, without needing to re‑upload the document, while ensuring the finalized agenda remains fixed once the meeting is published.
Replacing or removing an uploaded agenda
If the uploaded agenda document needs to be replaced, administrators must first remove the current agenda.
To remove an uploaded agenda:
Select the delete icon (trash can) next to the uploaded agenda document.
Once the uploaded agenda is deleted:
The Upload Agenda option becomes available again.
Administrators can upload a new agenda document using the Upload Agenda function.
If an uploaded agenda is deleted and no new agenda is uploaded:
BoardWorks automatically reverts to using the BoardWorks‑generated agenda for the meeting.
The Configure Agenda option becomes available again, allowing administrators to build the agenda using the BoardWorks Agenda Builder.
This behavior ensures that a meeting always has a single active agenda type and allows administrators to switch between a user‑generated agenda and a BoardWorks‑generated agenda as needed during meeting setup.
Downloading the Board Book
While building the agenda and meeting documents, administrators can download the full Board Book at any time by selecting Download Board Book.
Downloading the Board Book compiles all meeting documents into a single PDF, which can be reviewed, shared, or saved for offline use.
The Board Book can be downloaded:
At any point during meeting setup
Before or after the meeting is published
This allows administrators to preview the complete set of meeting materials and confirm everything is ready before or after publishing the meeting.
Publishing the Meeting
After reviewing the meeting agenda and Board Book, the final step in the meeting creation process is publishing the meeting.
To publish the meeting, select Publish Meeting.
Publishing the meeting makes it available to meeting attendees and allows them to view meeting details, the agenda, and supporting documents based on their access permissions.
Once published, the meeting appears in attendees’ meeting lists and calendars, and notifications are sent as configured.
Option 2: User‑Generated Agenda Using an Uploaded PDF
Administrators can choose to use a ready‑made agenda that was created outside of BoardWorks and upload it directly to the meeting.
This option bypasses the BoardWorks Agenda Builder and uses the uploaded document as the meeting agenda.
Documents can be retrieved from two different sources.
1. From collaboration workspace, which is located in BoardWorks, therefore, has the same security and protection BoardWorks provides.
To create a collaboration Workspace, click on Create Collaboration Workspace. For more information on Collaboration Workspace see the tutorial on Collaboration Workspaces.
2. From an outside BoardWorks location, i.e local computer or network.
BoardWorks will allow the Administrator to upload PDFs, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint documents.
Please note: Non-PDF documents uploaded will automatically be converted to PDF.
Please note: Converting a non-PDF document before uploading to BoardWorks is suggested for those who want to see how the converted document will look before uploading it to BoardWorks.
The meeting document screen provides, easy access to all options as highlighted below.
Please note: It is recommended an agenda is uploaded first and then the documents that support the agenda, but this can be approached in any order
Please note: A meeting cannot be published without an agenda.
Adding an Agenda
Agendas may be included in 1 of 2 ways:
By creating an agenda via BoardWorks
By selecting a ready-made PDF agenda uploaded from the local computer, or network, or retrieved from the Collaboration Workspace.
Please note: BoardWorks requires an Agenda to be added before publishing the meeting.
Creating an agenda using the Boardworks Agenda Builder
You can now create your meeting agendas within BoardWorks. To create an agenda via Boardworks select the Create Agenda button.
On the next screen, documents can then be uploaded using the Select Files option or dragged and dropped into the relevant space.
Each uploaded agenda item will then appear on the lower part of the screen and may have its run time added.
Presenters for each topic may be specified based on the attendees of the meeting.
A variety of functions are available beneath the settings icon to the right of each agenda item.
Permissions | Allows Administrators to set permissions on who should have access to the specific agenda item/document being configured. |
Rename File | Allows for editing of the file's name. Please note: this will not change the name of the agenda item. For the renaming of the agenda item see below. |
Replace with file from Computer | Allows for the replacement of a file with another from the user's computer. |
Replace with file from Collaboration Workspace | Allows for the replacement of a file with another from a collaboration workspace. |
Delete File | Deletes the file attached to the agenda item Please note: the original file will remain if available in a collaboration workspace. |
Delete Item | Deletes the Agenda item and the file attached to it. Please note: the original file will remain if available in a collaboration workspace. |
Make Header | Turns an agenda item into a header within the agenda. Headers do not have runtimes or files associated with them and are for formatting purposes only. |
Make Break | Turns an agenda item into a break, breaks have a run time but no associated files. |
Make Sub-Item | Nests an agenda item beneath another, allowing for multiple parts. Please note: Formatting on how sub-items are displayed can be configured see below. Please note: Multiple levels of sub-items are possible. |
Insert Items Above | Adds a new agenda item above. Please note: Whether a standard agenda item or a sub-item is created will depend on what type of item the action is taken on. |
Add Sub Item | Creates a sub-item beneath a standard agenda item. |
To edit the name of an agenda item – simply click on the Agenda Item.
To edit the formatting of agenda items and their sub-items – select the settings icon in the top left of the screen.
To re-order Agenda items please select the Re-Order button at the bottom of the screen.
Items may then be dragged and dropped at their required locations.
To preview an agenda simply select the Preview Agenda button.
A separate screen will then open displaying all the details of the meeting and the upcoming agenda.
Selecting a ready-made PDF agenda
To use a ready-made agenda (i.e. one prepared outside of Boardworks) click on the agenda row, then choose either Add File From Computer or Collaboration Workspace.
Click on Search For File to locate the correct file.
Adding Meeting Documents
When adding additional documentation for the Boardbook. BoardWorks will allow Word, PDF, PowerPoint, or Excel documents to be added. Please note: BoardWorks will convert any non-PDF documents to a PDF format as this is required for the meeting board book.
By default, BoardWorks will use the file name as the title of the document and sort them in alphabetical/numeric order.
Please note: To save time and fully utilize auto sorting, BoardWorks recommends that the document name contain the agenda number in the title of the document.
Sequence | Suggested File Name |
First Item: Security Audit Review | 1. Security Audit Review |
Second Item: Financial Audit Review | 2. Financial Audit Review |
Third Item: Acquisition Proposal | 3. Acquisition Proposal |
First Child Item: Venture Capital Discussion | 3.1. Venture Capital Discussion |
Second Child Item: Shareholder Disclosure | 3.2. Shareholder Disclosure |
To add a document, click on the Documents row and choose the preferred method for adding files.
Once uploaded as discussed above, the documents are in alphanumeric order. If necessary, the documents may be sorted or filtered simply by clicking on the column title; Agenda, or Size.
Editing Document Properties
Attendee access, change of name, and replacement of a document can all be completed from the Meeting Document Screen.
To begin click Edit on the row of the document to be edited.
Document Attendee Access
It is possible to limit the attendees' access to the documents on the Boardbook. An administrator will simply choose Attendee Access on the document they wish to limit different attendees from accessing. This will open the attendee list, where they will choose which attendees will have limited access to the document. Click on Attendee Access then untick Enable Group Access. This will allow the Administrator to change who may access the document specifically.
Then scroll down to the correct committee or Other User and click on the Down Arrow to view the list of members.
Then either click on or click off on the tick box to add or remove access to a specific document for that specific person.
Document Name Change
Choose Change Name from the dropdown list.
The Edit Document Properties Screen appears and in the title field type in the new name. Then click on Save.
Replacing a Document
Documents may need to be replaced for multiple reasons i.e., the file was incomplete, the file included wrong information, and the file includes too much information. To replace a document, click on Edit and choose Replace with file from and choose the location, the local computer, or collaboration workspace.
If the choice is Replace with file from Computer, browse to the file and click open.
If the choice is Replace with a file from Collaboration Workspace, the Collaboration Workspace opens.
Click on the arrow at the end of the row.
Either choice BoardWorks will confirm that the document is updated as needed.
Then click on Select to choose the file from the list displayed.
Once a meeting is ready to be published and made available to the attendees, click on Publish Meeting or change the meeting status from the Change Status as highlighted below.
