How to Organize and Run Effective Meetings Essay -- Workplace Meetings

INTRODUCTION Workplace meetings can be considered as essential but one of the most inefficient components of a corporate environment. Project managers can significantly influence the project performance by proactively influencing and controlling the dynamics of project meetings. This can ultimately generate highly valuable outputs in achieving team integration and consensus. ISSUES WITH MEETINGS Experts widely concur that there are too many meetings than required and most meetings are a waste of valuable time (American Marketing Association, 2011). Meetings can tend to get long and futile. Unfortunately, most of the meetings are hampered by vague agendas and directionless discussions. An attitude of low commitment creeps in and leads to dwindling participation. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Detrimental effects of unproductive meetings on a project are generally overlooked. In this essay I will attempt to examine meeting dynamics, including the five Ps (purpose, product, participants, process, and probable issues) and develop a reference cookbook for organizing and running meetings. INITIATION PHASE Strategy Meeting: The purpose is to analyze if a suggested business need fits with the organization’s strategic framework and vision (Tammy Adams, 2008). Products of this meeting include developing an initial draft of the business case, aligning it to overall organizations strategies. The participants should be low in number and include senior executives, sponsors and business process experts who would analyze the direction of the project. The process should focus on dividing the meeting in short segments and focus on individual items at a time. The possible issues could stem from to not presenting the complete data for the busine... ...p://www.the-program-manager.com/project-management/how-to-organize-an-effective-meeting/ PMI. (2004). Quickbooks. (2009, December 16). Project Closeout Meeting Agenda - DOC. Retrieved 4 12, 2014, from docstoc: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/19614443/Project-Closeout-Meeting-Agenda Schwalbe, K. (2012). Information Technology Project Management. Boston MA: Cengage Leaning. Tammy Adams, J. M. (2008). Project Meeting Facilitator: Facilitation Skills to Make the Most of Project Meetings. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. UGM Consulting. (2009, July 23). Strategy Design and Facilitation: The UGM Consulting Approach. Retrieved 4 12, 2014, from UMGConsulting: http://www.ugmconsulting.com/Effective%20strategy%20design.pdf Vick, J. (2012, January 12). Project Management: How to Run Team Meetings. Retrieved 4 12, 2014, from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW0CjH95K3Q