Your Project Management Coach: Best Practices for Managing Projects in the Real World

Chapter 15

The Keys to Successful Meetings

Suppose you go to great lengths to enlist a valuable resource as a project team member, only to hear her say, “I'll be delighted to work with you on this project, but don't make me come to any meetings.” It's understandable. Sometimes meetings are merely interruptions to work on project tasks. When meetings are dominated by people posturing, pontificating, and politicking rather than achieving the business at hand, they're not only a waste of time, but downright annoying.

However, good meetings move your project forward. With the right people collaborating, a good meeting can be the most effective way for the project team to generate creative ideas, collect facts, develop a deliverable, troubleshoot a problem, and make a decision.

This chapter provides a dose of common sense and best practices about conducting meetings for your project. You learn tips and techniques about setting up and running effective meetings, conducting different types of meetings, and following up afterwards.

Cross-Reference

The information in this chapter relates to the PMP Exam's Domain II: Planning the Project, Task 6, “Develop a communication plan based on the project organization structure and external stakeholder requirements, in order to manage the flow of project information.”

Running Effective Meetings

It's been said that the test of a true leader is whether people come when that individual calls a meeting. Even when meetings are mandatory, people find ...