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Setting Up a Successful MeetingThere are some general guidelines to follow in order to have successfuland effective meetings.Identify the ObjectiveFollow the qualification steps discussed earlier in this chapter to determineif the meeting is necessary. Determine what the outcome of the

meeting is supposed to be and state it on the meeting invitation. Insteadof a generic meeting title, choose one that is more descriptive. For example,change Conversion Project Team Meeting toDecision onSoftware Platform (Conversion Project). Identify what the meetingwill cover and its desired outcome.Schedule Time and Stick to ItChoose a start and stop time and ensure that the meeting adheres tothose times. If the meeting is going to run over, schedule the next oneor give the team an opportunity to make the decision to run over. Notreleasing the resources on time and failing to adhere to the schedulesets a poor example for the project team. How can a PM expect that theresources will hit their estimates if the PM cant hit his?

116 Project Management That WorksCreate an AgendaNot only should the PM create an agenda, she should also assign topicowners, avoid acronyms, and set expected times for the topics. Ray, asenior PM consultant was asked to attend a meeting that was titledCRM Discussion where he was assigned the task CRM Overview.He assumed that CRM meant customer relationship management andthat he would be providing an overview of the concept. There were noattendees listed, so he assumed that it was an internal meeting. WhenRay arrived at the meeting, he realized that he was the only one dressedin business casual. He also noticed clients in the room and a projectorset up. The slide on the projector said Change Request Management

Demonstration and had Rays name next to it. He was completely unprepared.Granted, Ray made way too many assumptions, however, themeeting agenda and title were not sufficient. The agenda should include: The start and stop times of the meeting The goal of the meeting A list of participants The roles and responsibilities of the participants The location of the meeting Special considerations such as dress code, directions, orinformationthat is pertinent to the outcome of the meeting Definitions of all acronyms usedEnsure the Attendees Are Prepared

It is the PMs role to ensure that all attendees understand why they arethere, what is expected of them, and what their attendance means to theproject. This exercise has two different purposes. When a PM is gatheringthe information to tell the resources why they are needed, the PM isvalidating that they are needed. The second purpose is to ensure thatthe participant brings the necessary materials and/or mindset to have asuccessful meeting.Successful meetings can really be quite simple. It is amazing theproductivity that can be achieved by following these rules. Not only will

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Important Rules for MeetingsTimelinessOne of the first and most important rules of meetings is to not let meetingsdrag on. One project office manager once discussed a staff meetingthat would take 2.5 hours with four people attending. His input wasabout 20 minutes. The time lost over the other two-plus hours was anincredible blow to his productivity. Make sure that the meetings are efficient.Hold to the Purpose of the MeetingDo not allow other topics or political issues to cloud the meeting. Callanother meeting to discuss the latest issue or agree to talk about it afterthe original meeting task is completed.Ensure That All Needed Materials Are PresentMake sure that all information needed to achieve the outcome is available.If the meeting is to discuss a user interface, then make sure the interfaceis available for viewing. If it is a meeting to choose one vendorover another, make sure that appropriate information is available tomake the decision.Document All Details and DecisionsIf the meeting is important enough to bring together a team, it needs tobe documented. The meeting can either be documented in meeting minutes(a formal listing all conversation) or meeting notes (which are lessformal and do not contain everything everyone said). Meeting notes listthe key decisions and who took part in the conversation but not at thesame detailed level as meeting minutes. Whichever the case, make surethe key points are documented.