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Let's say there is some work event in an office work/IT setting, e.g. a meeting/workshop/brainstorm session/you-name-it. Some tasks are done in advance to prepare for this event - i.e. they are done in preparation of this event/meeting.

Then, after the actual event happens there are some more tasks to be done - e.g. documentation/organizational tasks/communication/...

What word could be used to describe these sort of tasks, performed after the fact?

  • Cleanup doesn't quite fit the bill because it is rather misleading on what is actually done.
  • Debrief fits rather well, but there is only one person involved - i.e. there is no-one to actually debrief...
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    You aren't defining a particular context. With cooking, cleanup fits perfectly. With agents in the field, debrief fits perfectly. What you list under e.g. is fine, but very broad. Any number of things could be included in that list (which you leave open with the ellipsis)—including things that make either cleanup or debrief appropriate. So, you'll need to be more precise.
    – Jason Bassford
    Nov 14, 2018 at 10:13
  • @JasonBassford I tried to make the context more explicit. Is it sufficient?
    – fgysin
    Nov 14, 2018 at 11:47
  • For a situation involving scaffolding, tables, etc, "knockdown" is sometimes used.
    – Hot Licks
    Nov 14, 2018 at 12:39
  • @fgysin No, because either cleanup or debrief could be used, depending on what you're trying to express about what happens after the meeting.
    – Jason Bassford
    Nov 14, 2018 at 14:46
  • @fgysin Are you perhaps thinking of follow-up? Things that are done as a result of decisions made during the meeting—rather than actions involved in the so-called undoing of the preparations?
    – Jason Bassford
    Nov 14, 2018 at 14:47

2 Answers 2

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“Post hoc” is something done after the fact.

I’d be comfortable using the phrases “post hoc documentation”, “post hoc organizational tasks” and “post hoc communication”.

“Action items” might also work.

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Generally in IT, we call them takeaways, for tasks to be performed after the meeting/event, such as setup the next meeting. Usually this is a list of assignments to particular people.

Also see https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/11848/what-does-take-away-mean-in-this-context

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    I don't recall "takeaway" being used in this sense in 45 years in the computer biz.
    – Hot Licks
    Nov 15, 2018 at 2:18

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