The weekly progress meeting in 15 minutes
An hour-long progress meeting where everyone recounts their week wears everyone out. When reports are made beforehand, the meeting focuses on what needs a decision.
14 all-good reports: read, not discussed
The Monday progress meeting often lasts an hour. Everyone takes the floor, recounts what they did, and half the meeting is spent gathering information that could have been written down.
Report before, decide during
When everyone has reported their time spent and remaining work during the week, the information is already there. The meeting no longer has to gather it. It can focus on what needs a decision.
A three-part agenda
- 5 minutes on what threatens the objective: in our example, the only report to approve, Lola's, announcing 8 hours remaining instead of 2;
- 5 minutes on buffers in use: three tasks where the forecast still holds, but with no margin;
- 5 minutes on the following week: known absences, upcoming milestones, resource needs.
The fourteen all-good reports are not discussed. Everyone can read them; nobody needs to hear them.
What the team gains
Three quarters of an hour per person per week, and a meeting where everyone knows why they are there. The project manager arrives with the gaps already in view, and leaves with decisions.