It settles debates about what was discussed, informs people that did not attend, increases discoverability, and promotes transparency. Especially useful in interactions with customers. It's not for your daily stand-up. To quote the inimitable "Yes, Minister" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85fx0LrSMsE):
It is characteristic of all committee discussions and decisions that every member has a vivid recollection of them and that every member's recollection of them differs violently from every other member's recollection. Consequently we accept the convention that the official decisions are those and only those which have officially recorded in the minutes by the officials, from which it emerges with an elegant inevitability that any decision which has been officially reached will have been officially recorded in the minutes by the officials and any decision which is not recorded in the minutes has not been officially reached even if one or more members believe they can recollect it, so in this particular case if the decision had been officially reached it would have been officially recorded in the minutes by the officials. And it isn't so it wasn't.
In my professional ~20 year experience, throwing evidence in higher powers face that they changed their mind.. is not going to score you any points & give you a win.
Well guys you decided this at the meeting 6 months ago, that's why you aren't getting the feature you just imagined in your dream last week. Guess what, it generally doesn't matter. Stakeholders want what they want, business, customers and requirements evolve. Having "receipts" or thinking that throwing them in peoples face is somehow going to win you arguments is naive.
Having receipts is the difference between "oh I guess I didn't request that 6 months ago. but I want it now, so how much will the change order cost?" and "you're lying and trying to rip me off, you'll be hearing from my lawyers next".
> It settles debates about what was discussed, informs people that did not attend, increases discoverability, and promotes transparency. Especially useful in interactions with customers.
Oh, so we're talking about “recording” as in writing down a record? Not “recording” as in “audio recording” of the meeting. Then I agree with that.
Edit: it looks like bcantrill was actually talking about audio recording [1], and then I'm much more skeptical.
It is characteristic of all committee discussions and decisions that every member has a vivid recollection of them and that every member's recollection of them differs violently from every other member's recollection. Consequently we accept the convention that the official decisions are those and only those which have officially recorded in the minutes by the officials, from which it emerges with an elegant inevitability that any decision which has been officially reached will have been officially recorded in the minutes by the officials and any decision which is not recorded in the minutes has not been officially reached even if one or more members believe they can recollect it, so in this particular case if the decision had been officially reached it would have been officially recorded in the minutes by the officials. And it isn't so it wasn't.