Capture an agreement, not just a verb.
“Follow up” describes an activity. “Ask Maya whether the team can be ready for Friday before revising the proposal” describes a next step with a reason. The second version is easier to act on after a busy day.
Record a commitment when someone accepts responsibility. Keep suggestions and open questions distinct. “We could send a proposal” is not the same as “I’ll send Maya the proposal on Tuesday.” If the owner or date is unclear, ask before filling it in.
A simple commitment tracker.
You can use a document, spreadsheet, or the task tool your team already trusts. Start with these fields; add detail only when it helps someone decide what to do.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Commitment | The specific deliverable or answer. |
| Owner / for whom | Who will act and who needs the result. |
| Agreed due date | The accepted date. Use “not agreed” when there is none. |
| Waiting on | The answer, decision or work that blocks progress. |
| Source | The meeting, message or document where it was agreed. |
| Status / next check | Open, waiting or done, plus when to revisit it. |
| Done when | An observable result, such as Maya receiving the proposal. |
Download the commitment tracker (.csv) ↗
The download contains two fictional sample rows from Tuesday. Replace them with your own agreements. It is an ordinary spreadsheet file; it does not connect to Offscript or send anything.
Separate what you owe from what you need.
These are related commitments with different owners. If you only track “send proposal,” the missing answer can disappear inside a task that looks entirely yours.
You owe Maya: a revised proposal, agreed for Tuesday.
You need from Maya: confirmation that the team can be ready for Friday. A reply time has not yet been agreed.
The second item explains why the first is waiting. It does not transfer ownership of your proposal to Maya. You still decide whether to send a partial version, renegotiate the deadline, or wait for confirmation.
When the plan changes, keep the original agreement.
Add the change next to the promise and retain its source. On Monday, the team was aiming for Wednesday. On Tuesday, Maya moved the launch to Friday. The final review remains open. Those three facts can coexist without any one of them confirming readiness.
- Record the new date and where it came from.
- Check whether the original deliverable or due date actually changed.
- Identify what remains unconfirmed.
- Ask the owner for the missing answer.
- Update the commitment when the answer arrives.
Do not overwrite an agreed date just because a different date appears in a later conversation. When dates conflict, resolve the conflict with the people involved.
A sent reminder is not a completed task.
Mark the reminder as sent if that helps, but keep the requested answer open. Close the proposal when it has been delivered according to the agreement, not when you have opened the document or drafted a message.
If the work is cancelled, record that outcome instead of marking it completed. If nobody owns it, resolve ownership. A daily review can be brief: what is due, what changed, and what answer would unlock the most useful next step?
Use the follow-up templates when an item is waiting. If the work belongs on a team board, see creating a Linear issue from a conversation.
Keep the promise connected with Offscript.
Offscript helps find commitments in meeting notes and connected work conversations. You can ask what you owe someone, what you are waiting for, or what was discussed about a particular issue. Suggested changes and supported actions are presented for review.
The aim is to carry the source context into the next decision. A status label alone cannot tell you whether Friday is realistic; the conversation behind it helps you ask the right question.
Questions about tracking commitments.
Do I need a new task manager?
No. This approach works in a spreadsheet or an existing team tool. The useful change is preserving the owner, source and dependency alongside the task.
What should I do when no deadline was agreed?
Write “not agreed” and ask when the result is needed. Do not turn an assumed deadline into a commitment someone never accepted.
How do I avoid duplicate tasks?
Keep one primary record for the deliverable and link related questions or updates to it. Before creating an issue from a conversation, check whether the work already exists on the team board.