Meetings Management
Abstract
Meetings are one of the most important driving forces of projects. On average, 11 million meetings take place each day in the United States. These meetings are used for example to share information on a specific subject, make decisions, provide updates, or brainstorm; activities that are inherent to project management too. However, 33% of meeting time is considered unproductive by the participants, and their average salary cost is $338. Money and time are the two biggest constraints in a project: it is thus a necessity to keep meetings efficient and effective.
Throughout the lifecycle of a project, different types of meetings can take place. The project manager, with the possible help of a facilitator, must understand the difference between them: they serve separate goals and must be managed accordingly. For a meeting to be effective, the roles of each participant have to be clearly defined. It must be run through three stages: before, during, and after the meeting; each step necessitating appropriate preparation.
The digitalisation of the workplace is another challenge for meetings management. More and more, project teams are working in different places and time-zones. Companies, trying to reduce costs linked to travelling, are trying to use digital tools to implement meetings where participants do not meet in person. This requires additional planning for meeting managers, and changes of practices by project teams.
Annotated Bibliography
NOAA Coastal Services Center (2010). "Introduction to Planning and Facilitating Effective Meetings", http://www.reefresilience.org/pdf/Facilitation_Effective_Meetings.pdf
This document is a precise handbook for meeting managers and facilitators. It provides precise and concrete techniques and methods on how to manage meetings, the particular points to focus on, and the best strategies in different kind of situations. It does not provide an in-depth analysis of meetings and their challenges, but gives an interesting set of rules and advice that planners and facilitators can try to put into practice.
