Meetings are vital to the success of a project, whether it be determining the Client’s initial goals and desires, finalizing project specifications, or keeping track of construction. These last few years have felt a little “last minute” with the introduction of Zoom, where you can essentially set up project meetings in minutes from anywhere, but that left us feeling a bit behind and chaotic. So this year we have set some goals to help us stay productive and keep the lines of communication open!
ONE: 24 hours notice before a meeting.
I know, I know… It is so tempting with the technology today to just jump on a call immediately and share screens, but if you aren’t ready (physically or mentally) it can just make the meeting unproductive. You know what I am talking about, we have all been in those meetings that could have been an e-mail… #coughcough
By trying to make sure that we have preparation time and enough notice, we can make sure that the meetings run more smoothly and we can be using our time more effectively. Oh wait, we have a meeting for project “X” tomorrow morning… let’s jump off project “Y” and make sure we are prepared!
TWO: Meeting Itineraries.
Okay, so we scheduled the meeting, now what are we hoping to accomplish? Is this a materials walkthrough? Are we going to need to review the Enscape model to make sure it’s reading accurately? Trust me, nothing is scarier than turning the model off white mode only to see a hodgepodge of bad generic materials!
Jotting down a quick list of meeting goals, will not only help the team prioritize the work to be completed pre-meeting but also help to keep the meeting on track so you don’t end up spending an inordinate amount of time talking about the way the sofa looks in the model when the meeting is about the appliance specifications…
THREE: Allow 30-minute pre-meeting Powwow time.
Jumping on the call or sitting down at the conference table a bit earlier than the meeting is always a good idea. This is a good time to review the meeting itinerary, and review potential issues that may have come up during prep time (like the stove specification doesn’t really work…) so that everyone is on the same page by the time the client, consultants, or contractor joins the meeting.
Who is in charge of what part of the meeting? Who is sharing their screen? Is there any new information that needs to be ready like a manufacturer’s website or a client’s inspiration image?
Now, we are not naive enough to believe that every meeting this year will go this way, this week alone we have had 3 impromptu meetings with only a couple of hours to prepare… but, hopefully, for the most part, we can institute these goals and help keep our small office working efficiently and productively.
Scratch that, make that 5 impromtu meetings this week…