Team Meetings

A project manager who wants to lead an effective team must be organized, prepared, and committed to a strict timetable. When you meet with your team members , they will be looking to you to lead the meeting in an organized, efficient manner. It is not necessary, or advised, to ramble on about the project and discuss issues that are not pertinent. Simply put, call the meeting to order, address the objectives of the meeting, and then finish the meeting. Time in meetings is time not spent completing the project.

Meeting Frequency

Decide at the onset of the project how often the team should meet to discuss the project. Depending on your project, a weekly meeting may be required; in other circumstances, a biweekly meeting is acceptable. The point is to decide how often the team needs to meet as a group to discuss the project as a whole and then stick to that schedule. The project meeting schedule should be documented in the Communications Plan.

It is acceptable, (and wise) to meet with some members of the project team if the agenda of a meeting is geared toward just those individuals. Project managers often feel the need to involve the entire team in every discussion related to the project ”this is a waste of time. While an effort should be made to keep the team informed and moving forward as a whole, there will often be instances when the objectives of a meeting are geared to just a few individuals. These meetings should be separate and in addition to the regularly scheduled team meetings.

Meeting Purpose

Once you have decided to meet on a regular basis for the duration of the project, you must also decide why you are meeting at all. In other words, what is the purpose of the meeting? Typically, you will want to meet regularly with your project team to discuss the status of the work and concerns that may have evolved. Other ongoing issues include

• Review of tasks completed

• Review of upcoming tasks

• Risks and pending risks

• Recognition of team members achievements

• Review of outstanding issues on the project

• News about the project

A project manager should create an agenda of topics that need to be discussed and then stick to the schedule. These regular meetings with the staff should usually consist of the same order of business, the same length of time, and the same participants . In a geographically dispersed project with subteams, teleconferences or videoconferences are ideal.

Using a Meeting Coordinator

A meeting coordinator runs the business of a meeting to keep the topics on schedule and according to the agenda. The project manager does not have to be the meeting coordinator. If you have a very eager team member who is excited about the technology and is ambitious, she may be an excellent meeting coordinator. This individual, like the project manager, must be organized, timely , and able to lead a team meeting. The meeting coordinator will work with the project manager to be certain key points are covered in the meeting and that the agenda is followed.

When sensitive issues are discussed, the project manager may intervene for the meeting coordinator. If you decide to use a meeting coordinator, you must be certain she has certain attributes:

• Agreement to maintain the position throughout the project

• Willingness to learn and speak before the project team

• Organization skills

• Time management abilities

• Commitment to gathering resources needed for the meeting

A meeting coordinator can be a great help to the project manager, and the associated responsibilities allow the designated meeting coordinator to gain some experience hosting meetings. You should, however, respect the position and not interrupt as she leads the meeting or take over the meeting. If the meeting coordinator needs help, then step into the role or meet with her outside the meeting to offer advice.

Meeting Minutes

IT projects require documentation on all activities; meetings are not an exception. Determine prior to the meeting who will keep the minutes of the meeting. This does not have to be the same person each time, but it would be helpful if it s someone who can type and distribute the minutes to the team members.

You need meeting minutes because they provide a record of the meeting, the problems and situations that were discussed, and documentation of the project s progress. Meeting minutes are an excellent method for keeping the team aware of what has already been discussed and settled, resolutions of problems, and proof of the attendees.