Meeting Agenda

The meeting agenda is the plan for how a project meeting will be managed. That’s right. Created properly, it’s far more than a list of meeting activities or items that will be up for discussion. Project meetings, and the agendas that announce them, speak to the project culture.

Consider a project meeting that begins late, ends late, rambles on and wastes the time of several individuals. How would it reflect on the project and the person who manages it?

Whether the project meeting is held in person or electronically, a well-organized meeting speaks volumes about the project. It communicates the worth of the project and the fitness of the person managing it. Thankfully, it isn’t difficult to run a well-organized project meeting. It does; however, take a little planning.

That planning begins with the meeting agenda template. By relying on a template, you’re certain to capture the information you’ll need to run an effective meeting.

The meeting agenda is created by the project manager or any other person responsible for leading a project meeting.

Depending on the goals and objectives for the meeting, inputs to creating the meeting agenda may include the project management plan including each of the subsidiary management plans, organizational process assets and enterprise environmental factors.

First and foremost, think of the meeting agenda template as a planning document. It’s one that helps the user prepare for a project meeting.

The free template below captures information about the meeting like its location, date and time. It identifies those who are invited to attend, the pre-meeting assignments, if any, and the topics scheduled for discussion. Lastly, it has a section for capturing “next steps” or action items.

Well before the meeting, the agenda should be distributed to the invitees. Delivering it in advance gives everyone time to digest the information and prepare to participate in the meeting. If items need accomplished before the meeting, communicate it in the “Pre-meeting Assignments” section.

During the meeting, set the tone by starting on time. State the objectives of the meeting, stay on track and end with action items.

After the meeting, follow up with a thank you note and send any minutes that were captured. If action items were assigned, publish those as well. If an additional meeting is needed, announce the date.

Help yourself to the meeting agenda template below to help you plan and lead effective meetings. It’s free, editable and no logins are required.