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Designing the Agenda for an Effective Meeting





Good organizational habits are critical for running effective meetings. One way to achieve a structured approach to meetings is using an agenda. Project managers always use one when running their meetings. This is an essential tool for controlling the meeting and the participants. Good leaders know exactly what the issues are, what information is required to make a decision, and who is responsible to bring that to the meeting. The agenda keeps things really organized, which is why a well-designed one really helps the efficiency of the business.

"Watch Your Apps"

It was a very long week for everyone around the office. It had been particularly busy, since they were preparing for a new client. The software testing team was working over 12 hours a day, getting in last-minute checks to ensure the launch of a new application goes well. If the client is happy with the app, they were going to invest millions into the company to distribute it. Dale had been working tirelessly to get the application user ready. Overworked, he decided the weekly team meeting was a low priority, and just scribbled some topics to discuss on a piece of paper. Dale decided they did not need the agenda; there was no time for it.

Days later, the new investor arrived at the office, hoping to see a good demonstration of the app. They went through the presentation and then tried out the functionality. All seemed to go well until the end, when the app stopped working. The client was not very impressed, and asked about debugging it. The team leader was able to convince the client it was an oversight. After the software team debugged the error, they discovered it to be a known issue. Unfortunately, this was on Dale's agenda, before he decided he did not have time to use it.

2.1 Developing the Agenda for the Meeting

The agenda is your guide to making an efficient and useful meeting. This is your road map for the team to follow. The agenda tells everyone what you want to do, and who needs to respond. When you design an agenda, you should have several items, including:


(Charles River Editors, 2011)

Items to Discuss

The agenda should have topic items listed inside it. When you send the agenda out before the meeting, team members can preview the items for discussion.

When team members do not see any topics related to them, they do not have to attend the meeting.

Topics listed on the agenda will have each individual's assigned responsibility; this allows them to get prepared for the meeting.

Items for discussion allow leaders to see if they need to act or handle problems prior to the meeting.

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