We have all been guilty of hosting or attending a meeting that lacked structure or a real purpose. It is important that every meeting has an agenda, is time-bound, and has takeaways from the session.
Here are some best practices to follow:
Daily Huddles average 5 – 15 minutes or less; no more. These serve as a daily synchronization for the entire team, at the executive and departmental levels. Information is shared either up or down the reporting chain. These sessions are designed to expose issues that need resolution, but not necessarily resolve them on the spot.
The weekly meeting should be held at the same time each week and most organizations hold them either at the start of the week, to set the stage for a productive week ahead, or at the end of the week, to serve as a recap of the week’s activities and performance. One of the most important purposes of the weekly meeting cycle is to see how the department is performing functionally against the expectations of the plan goals and metrics. During the meeting, you will review and update your Quarterly Plan. The Quarterly Plan is a simple tool that captures your success statements, KPIs, and weekly status indicators.
Each meeting needs a scribe to capture the meeting takeaways that include commitments and due dates. The file is sent to all attendees following the meeting. Start the next meeting by reviewing the takeaway file.