Jorvig Consulting, Inc.
Optimizing the Effectiveness of Design Project Meetings
Freedom from Surprises Newsletter
 September 2007
In This Issue
News
Meeting Effectiveness
Elevating Meeting Value
Quick Links
Design Professional,
 
Are routine design meetings intended as an enabler of successful projects for you or are they held because you need to know how things are going? If the meeting helped each team member feel more focused on his or her near term activity objectives, then it enabled success. Conversely if each member did not receive adequate near term direction the time for the meeting was not well spent. Have you ever asked design team members about a design project meetings value? Read on to get some ideas for improving upon the design team meeting experience.

Jeff Jorvig, IC Design Process Visionary
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Determining Meeting Effectiveness
The very first question I ask clients in establishing the effectiveness of project meetings is who the primary beneficiary of the meeting is? Is it mainly to help the leader to understand where things are at or is it to give the team a sense of direction? If the objective is perceived as a project status it will be viewed as of little value to the team and I anticipate minimal team engagement.

Meeting questionsEstablishing the value of project meetings to the team is not a difficult task assuming you are open minded, prepared for the unexpected and have no preconceived notions about a meetings value to your team. The next step is to ask the team what they think about the meetings. Find out what value the current meeting format brings for them and what agenda alterations or meeting deliverables would produce increased usefulness for them. Bear in mind that the primary reason for a project meeting should be improving a team member's ability to complete their tasks; therefore your questions should query that key objective.

Another way to gauge the meeting is to ask yourself this question. "When the meeting is over does the team have what it needs to enable a high level of productivity until the next meeting?" In answering this, the scope of your reflection should not only include the meeting itself but the tangible deliverables out of the meeting. This might include meeting notes, schedules, action items and so on. Unless the attendees are excellent note takers the meeting deliverables are an important element in determining a meeting's effectiveness.

There you have it. You have solicited inputs from the team members and you have cogitated on your own as to what meeting modifications will add greater value for the team members. Proceeding with this exercise to improve your project meetings displays both an open mind and a continuous improvement mindset and I commend your efforts to make things better.
Raising the Bar in Design Project Meetings
Common Meeting ObjectivesThe first step towards the ideal project meetings is to establish the objectives of the meetings. Why is the team meeting and how will each member's participation help with the overall execution of the project? To initiate the thought process about your own meetings I have identified a common set of objectives (See left slide) for any routine project meeting. The goals shown here have been proven to add value for the design team participants. Review these items and reflect on your own findings and objectives for meetings.

As you plan out your meetings. Wait a minute; plan the project meetings? Definitely, if you want meetings that add value for your team it is essential to plan out what the meetings purpose will be, the objectives of the meetings and how they will be accomplished. Minimally the meetings need to include the coordination of task deliverables and receivables to ensure they are in sync, elimination of any roadblocks to task completion and establish objectives for the period between meetings. You "might" also include the update of the project plan, however it should not be the primary purpose of the meeting. I believe project updates are best handled outside of the meeting so you are well prepared to share key critical tasks for the next period and able to focus the team on the means to complete them.

And by all means write stuff down to capture each meeting and distribute to everyone. When managing a project that is predictable to plan there is no room for assumptions by anyone on the team. Say what you expect to accomplish at the next meeting and who should have done what during this period. Send this at least 24 hours prior. When the meeting is over denote what was accomplished, decided and agreed upon. Include key actions for the next period of time between meetings and try to send this out the day of the meeting.

Think coordination over status and you will be well on your way to more effective project meetings. Consider that the meeting is not about updating what people have done; it is coordinating how they will work together over the next period of time. It is the future, not the past. Routine project meetings ought to identify who, what, how, where and when the team will accomplish the next steps. Your job prior to the meeting is establishing what the next steps must be.