"Time is money," Benjamin Franklin once said, and this sentence has become the mantra of business people around the world. If we try to understand this sentence simply, we will understand that time, like money, needs to be carefully utilized in order to receive full value for it.
Most status meetings in project management, construction, and supervision waste valuable time. As part of client-side management, I have often joined weekly field meetings and been exposed to countless status meetings held at the heart of engineering and various organizations. Usually, all stakeholders and partners gather for a meeting that lasts between 60-120 minutes. The meetings typically involve the participation of the entire work management and field supervision team, led by the project manager and contractor. The meeting leaders focus on what needs to be done in their work that week, what equipment and materials they received, which team members were assigned to each task, and which materials need to be ordered.
From my observations, there was almost no focus on current work progress, activities for the next week, or emphasizing the near-term goals in the project's critical timeline (DVIEWSION company developed a unique methodology called P.T.C). What bothers me the most is that there is never enough time left to discuss important matters such as site safety issues, providing recognition and encouragement to workers and field managers, and providing regular updates. In my opinion, the meetings, as they are usually conducted with shouting and frustration, without concrete focus, result in a complete waste of time and fail to achieve anything that would improve results, maximize profits, or meet realistic deadlines.
The purpose of conducting status meetings in a project is to achieve goals, extract lessons, and present results. However, in most status meetings, there is not enough time left to address important issues. In order to achieve project goals within the relevant timeframe, meetings must be effective, and teams need to focus on what is required in order to meet project objectives without constantly deviating from the project's scope.
Here are some tips and basic principles for effectively managing status meetings in a project:
1. Prioritization - Remember, the top priority in the team meeting is to achieve and improve results. Try not to cover tactics, logistics, or group discussions in this meeting. Separate meetings should be scheduled to address specific and pinpointed problems.
2. Think of the big picture and adopt an outside-in perspective - Try to look at the team's problems from an external viewpoint (a broader perspective). Evaluate situations as if you had the opportunity to start everything from scratch or alternatively, what could be done differently for a better outcome. Involve an external consultant to provide insights and solutions to the problem, or someone without any agenda or affiliation with the project. Treat all ideas equally and remember that there are no bad ideas. All team members have the right to express their opinions and influence, even if their ideas are not ultimately implemented.
3. Avoid criticizing proposals or decisions from anyone - Keep an open forum. Present issues as queries to the forum and ensure that the decisions made by the team are final.
4. Adhere to timelines - The best meetings are the ones that start on time, are quick and purposeful, involve interaction, challenge the participants, and end on time. As previously mentioned, avoid discussing topics that can be addressed outside of the meeting unless decision-makers are required.
In conclusion, effective meetings can increase results if they are held consistently and focused on achievements and outcomes. Without consistency in scheduled team meetings, your results will not change. When you do not take the necessary time to prepare, meet, address, improve, update, monitor, and progress toward your goals, it is difficult to hold people accountable or expect them to impact any objectives. In order for us to operate properly, team meetings should foster unity, focus, and positivity—and they certainly deliver results.
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