Use case
Board minutes and written resolutions
Send board minutes and written resolutions to every director in one pack. Each director signs on their own device, at once or in the order you set, and you keep the signed paperwork together with an evidence record showing who signed what, and when.
Paperwork that should exist, but often doesn't
Many practices prepare company secretarial paperwork for their owner-managed clients: minutes of board meetings, and written resolutions circulated to the directors for signature when a decision is taken without a meeting.
The paperwork is easy to draft and easy to forget to get signed. With two or three directors, a minute can sit unsigned for months, and the gap tends to come to light at the worst moment: at year end, during an HMRC enquiry, or when a director leaves.
Sending the documents as a single pack to every director means the decision and its paperwork are signed together, close to the date the decision was made, and stored in one place.
Several directors
Every director signs the same pack, up to 10 signers
Signing order
Everyone at once, or in order so the chair signs last
Kept with the client
Signed copies and the evidence record on the client record
A typical written resolution workflow
Example: Change of bank, Ashby & Rowe Ltd
2 documents · 3 signers · In order
- 01Directors' Written Resolution.pdf2 pages
- 02Bank Mandate Summary.pdf1 pages
Recipients
- 1. Kate Rowe (Director)Signed
- 2. Sam Okafor (Director)Awaiting
- 3. Mark Ashby (Chair)Next
- 01
Prepare the paperwork
Draft the minutes or the written resolution and attach any papers the directors relied on. Save it as a template if the client passes similar resolutions regularly.
- 02
Add the directors
Add each director who needs to sign. Anyone who only needs a copy can be added as a view-only recipient.
- 03
Place fields and set the order
Add signature and date fields where each director signs. Send to everyone at once, or in order if the chair should sign last.
- 04
File the signed pack
When the last director signs, download the signed documents and evidence record and keep them with the company's records.
Check the articles: how directors and shareholders make and record decisions depends on the company's articles of association and the Companies Act 2006. PractiSign provides simple electronic signatures with an audit trail. It does not check whether a decision was validly made, and it does not file anything with Companies House.
Board minutes questions
Can directors sign board minutes and resolutions electronically?
In many cases, yes, but it depends on the document and the company. Check the company's articles of association for how directors take decisions and how resolutions are to be signed or agreed, and take advice where a document must be executed in a particular way.
What is the difference between a directors' written resolution and a shareholders' written resolution?
A directors' written resolution records a board decision taken without a meeting, under the company's articles. A shareholders' (members') written resolution is a decision of the members, following the rules in the Companies Act 2006 and the articles. They may need different signers, so set up the recipients for each pack accordingly.
Who usually signs the minutes of a board meeting?
Often the chair signs the minutes as a correct record, but practice varies and some companies ask every director present to sign. Follow the company's articles and its own procedures, and add whoever needs to sign as a recipient.
Can every director sign the same pack?
Yes. Add each director as a recipient, up to 10 per pack. They can sign at the same time or in a set order, and the pack completes when the last one has signed.
Where do signed minutes and resolutions end up?
The signed documents and the evidence record stay on the client's record in PractiSign, and you can download them to keep with the company's statutory books and minute book.