Streamlining Intra-Company Meetings: Part 1: Defining the process
At our company, we’re all about efficiency and effectiveness, especially when it comes to meetings. Let’s face it, “meetings for meetings’ sake” can be a drag, so we’re setting a new standard for how we conduct them. In this post, we’ll share the process we’ve defined to streamline our intra-company meetings and how we’re leveraging Coda.io to automate key aspects, making our meetings more productive and less time-consuming.
What Exactly is a Check-In?
A “check-in” is a quick meeting where team members update each other on progress, challenges, and priorities. It’s usually a regular daily or weekly touchpoint to keep everyone aligned on project status and tasks.
Step 1: Laying the Groundwork for Our Meetings
Before diving into any meeting, we first establish a clear purpose. If the meeting isn’t going to add value or drive progress, we skip it. But when a meeting is necessary, we make sure it’s structured and purposeful.
Here’s what we define right from the start:
- Meeting Frequency: How often will we meet? Daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly?
- Agenda: What key points need to be addressed each time we meet?
- Participants: Who needs to be in the room (or on the call)?
- Facilitator: Who will lead the meeting?
For us, these are weekly check-ins involving two team members, where we track the progress of tasks from the last meeting and set new ones based on current needs.
Step 2: Defining the Meeting Process
We sketched out a basic idea of how data related to our meetings and tasks will be stored and managed. This idea helps us shape the automation process as we develop it.
Process Kick-Off: The process starts automatically each week on a predetermined day for each meeting. A one-time calendar invitation with the agenda is sent to all participants.
Event 1: Pre-Meeting Reminder
- How: An automatic Slack message to remind participants to add any additional topics to the agenda.
- When: 7:00 AM on the day of the meeting.
- Who: Automation.
Event 2: Adding Additional Agenda Items
- How: Each participant adds a brief description of their topic to the meeting table.
- When: By 10:00 AM on the meeting day.
- Who: Everyone (if applicable).
Event 3: Meeting Part A – Reviewing Previous Tasks
- How: We summarize the status of tasks from the last meeting and discuss any that weren’t completed.
- Who: The meeting facilitator.
Event 4: Meeting Part B – Standard Agenda
- How: We go through the predefined agenda points for our regular check-in.
- Who: The meeting facilitator.
Event 5: Meeting Part C – Additional Topics
- How: We review any additional topics and decide on the next steps: whether to assign tasks, set up a follow-up meeting, or close the discussion.
- Who: The meeting facilitator.
Event 6: Meeting Part D – Wrapping Up
- How: We generate a summary of the meeting, including discussed points and newly created tasks.
- Who: The meeting facilitator, assisted by our automated tool.
- When: Right after the meeting ends.
End of Process: The process concludes once the meeting is over. The execution of tasks discussed is part of another workflow.
Step 3: Automating Where It Counts
We’ve pinpointed several events in our process that are ripe for automation:
- Reminding participants to add topics.
- Summarizing the status of incomplete tasks.
- Preparing a comprehensive meeting agenda.
- Creating tasks from meeting discussions.
- Marking tasks as discussed or closed.
- Generating a meeting report.
- Notifying team members about new tasks.
Wrapping Up
Creating a functional tool in Coda.io starts with a clear process. By defining our process first, we ensure that our tool is tailored to our needs, rather than being limited by the tool’s capabilities. We’ve documented this process in our internal systems and are now moving on to the next phase—building the tool in Coda.io to bring this process to life.
Stay tuned for updates on how this tool enhances our meetings and overall productivity!
