Action Meetings

A single action meeting can potentially be used to to replace a number of existing ineffective meetings, allowing a team or group to review progress and plan actions for the next period.

Clear Purpose

Each Action Meeting has a well-defined purpose, with a clear structure. This ensures that discussions are focused and aligned with the desired outcomes, facilitating a direct path to decision-making and action planning.

Preparation

Participants are expected to come prepared, having reviewed any necessary documents or information ahead of time. This preparation allows the meeting to dive straight into decision-making and action assignments without spending time on information sharing.

Structured Agenda

The agenda for an Action Meeting is structured and time-boxed, with allocated time slots for each discussion point. This keeps the meeting on track and ensures that all items are addressed efficiently. 

For example, at Beliminal we have a weekly operational rhythm, so every Monday we have an action meeting to move our work along.

• • Check-In. (5 min.) Each team member answers a check-in question, allowing us to get present and learn something new about each other.

• • Habit Review. (5 min.) Take it in turns to review how they have been doing against habits they wish to build. For each habit, are you doing this? We have a habit we are trying to build around feedback, so we ask: have you asked for feedback in the last week? The answers are yes/no.

• • Action Updates. (20-30 min.) In this stage, the team quickly reviews the status of its most important projects. During this update, the project owner(s) answer the question “What’s changed since last week?” If nothing has changed, a simple “No change.” will suffice. 

• • Emergent Agenda. (20-30 min.) First, the team builds a shared list of issues/tensions/proposals to process. Any team member with a need may simply add it to the list with a short description. Next, the team works through the list, one item at a time, doing whatever is necessary to unblock the work. Common needs include requests to: take action, share or receive information, get help or advice, schedule time with other team members, and prioritise work.

• • Check Out. (5 min.) Each team member answers a check-out question

Actionable Outcomes

Every discussion point in the meeting is expected to result in actionable steps. This means that by the end of the meeting, tasks are clearly defined and assigned, with deadlines for completion, criteria for success and clarity around who will take responsibility for the action.

Efficient Use of Time

These meetings are designed to be concise and to the point, minimising wasted time and keeping discussions focused on action-oriented outcomes. The duration of the meeting is kept as short as possible while still achieving its objectives.

Results-Focused

The ultimate goal of an Action Meeting is to move projects and initiatives forward. As such, the meeting’s success is measured by the tangible progress made towards goals and objectives as a direct result of the actions decided upon in the meeting.

Make Work Transparent

Key decisions, actions, and task assignments are documented during the meeting. This record serves as a reference point for participants and stakeholders not present, facilitating transparency and follow-through. Some teams might use a visual management board such as Trello to capture and move actions through their workflow.