Running an Effective Project Meeting
(Bonus: Project Meeting Agenda and Minutes Templates)
Project meetings are periodically conducted to keep track of the project status, to discuss any issues that have arisen, and make decisions when needed. The frequency of a project meeting is usually determined by the project manager. However, there are times when emergency meetings must be called; especially if there are pressing issues that need to be immediately resolved.
Aside from the reasons mentioned above, project meetings may also have other purposes. A kickoff meeting is usually conducted at the initial stage of the project. The purpose of the kickoff meeting is to define the project, its objectives, and introduce the members of the project team. A planning meeting is where the team discusses the project plan, and roles and responsibilities are assigned. A project meeting may also be called if there is a need for the team to present the project or its status to the top management or the stakeholders. Lastly, when a project reaches a significant milestone, a project meeting is, likewise, conducted.
With all these things being done, discussed, and decided during a meeting, it is critical that the meeting runs smoothly and has been properly documented.
- How to Run an Efficient Project Meeting Part 1
- Efficient Project Meeting Free Download Part 2
- Additional Resources Part 3
- How to Dramatically Reduce Time You Spend Creating Reports Part 4
Part 1
How to run an efficient project meeting:
- 1. Whatever the purpose of the project meeting is, it is imperative to prepare a meeting agenda prior to sending out of a notice of the meeting. The meeting agenda sets the direction of the meeting, and a meeting without one is futile. It will also give the organizer or the coordinator an idea of how long the meeting will last. The participants will also be prepared for what they need to report and the issues to be discussed in relation to the meeting agenda.
- 2. Project meeting agenda examples may include updates on the activities being implemented under the project, reports on the financial status of the project or introduction of new team members. There are a variety of different project meeting agenda templates available online which may be downloaded and used to inform the meeting participants about the lineup of topics to be discussed.
- 3. Reports may be sent in advance together with the notice of the meeting so that participants will have more time to review them and make some notes. By doing this before the actual meeting, time will be more efficiently spent discussing the most important matters at the meeting.
- 4. Arrange the topics for discussion according to the most important down to the least important. Each item should have a maximum time allocated for its discussion. Since each topic will have a different level of importance, the allotted time for different items may not be the same. Assign a timekeeper to keep track of time and to remind the group how much time is left.
- 5. The agenda should include a review of the milestones from the previous time-frame and a short discussion of key accomplishments. There should also be a discussion of the following period and its expected outcomes. Ask the group if they anticipate any major risks or issues during this stage of the project so that the group may address those issues if necessary.
- 6. Taking down minutes of the project meeting also plays an important factor. The team may customize a project status meeting minutes template to ensure that all relevant points of the discussion are noted. Using one will also save time since it will be easier for the team secretary or anyone assigned to take the minutes since there will be no need for them to think of the format in which the minutes should be presented. A useful reference about writing the minutes of the meetings can be found here.
Part 2
Project Meeting Minutes: Free Download
Click Here to Download Project Meeting Minutes Template DOCX
Project Meeting Agenda: Free Download
Click Here to Download Project Meeting Agenda Template DOC
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Templates on ProsperForms:
Part 3