 |
|
|
|
|
||
Sponsored Sections
The Model Meeting Agenda
A carefully thought-out meeting agenda, communicated in advance, makes a big difference.
Published July 1994
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE
PRINTER FRIENDLY
COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE
BUY A REPRINTA good meeting is hard to find. A carefully thought-out agenda, communicated in advance, makes all the difference
Time, said Ovid, is the devourer of all things. Ovid might have added that formless meetings are the insidious devourers of time. Then he'd have really been onto something.
Few calendar entries prompt more dread and resentment among busy people than a scheduled meeting with an open agenda -- or, just as alarming, a nebulous agenda. In daring attempts to tame the no-agenda beast, some entrepreneurs impose cute conditions on any meeting they agree to attend: one company president, for instance, holds meetings only in rooms with no chairs. That, he figures, will keep things moving along.
But such ad hoc cures miss the point. The issue isn't simply one of long-windedness versus brevity -- although setting time limits is certainly a good thing. The best meetings, instead, are distinguished by having a focus, a goal that can be accomplished only by gathering people together. The best meetings involve preparation, a careful allocation of how time will be spent. And the best meetings are conducted according to an agenda, articulated in advance and detailed even to the point that each issue is allotted a certain time segment. In a nutshell, the best meetings are so well conceived that their payoffs could almost be guaranteed before they begin.
None of that is particularly profound. But it's amazing how many poorly run meetings most people have to endure. To get an idea, though, of a well-run meeting -- a meeting that could be a model for any gathering, of any size and any degree of formality -- you couldn't do much better than to look at the way companies are networking in upstate New York. The Western New York Technology Development Center, a private, not-for-profit corporation, has organized 65 companies, mostly manufacturers, into groups of 8 to 10. Each company sponsors a half-day on-site visit for the others in its group.
The networking is tangential to a New York State grant program the center administers for businesses pursuing quality programs. Many of the companies in the network have received grants of up to $75,000 and used them to convert to total-quality-management (TQM) systems, to attain ISO 9000 certification, or to improve other areas of their manufacturing operations. The network meetings focus specifically on sharing those experiences.
"The structure we use evolved three years ago, during our first couple of meetings," says Frederick DeJohn, a director and meeting facilitator at the center. "Certain elements are standard: there's an introduction, a tour, a couple of teams giving presentations, and feedback. But how the companies work around that framework we leave up to them."
Last year Fedco Automotive Components Co., a manufacturer of car heater cores, joined the network. Fedco's two owners, Gary Moose and Tim Brodene, had purchased Fedco in 1990, when it was a division of a larger company and on the verge of being shut down. Today Fedco is "very profitable," says Moose, with 1993 sales of $25 million and 143 hourly and 37 salaried employees on its payroll. Fedco received a grant in 1993 for its TQM ramp-up, and last fall DeJohn asked the company to host a meeting to launch a new network group. Those attending would be company owners and high-level managers who, for the most part, were not already acquainted with one another.
DeJohn worked with Fedco to design a comprehensive agenda, which was sent to each group member two weeks before the meeting. On the pages that follow, people who were at the February meeting talk about why it worked so well.
Below is a sample agenda
The Western Quality Network - Core Group #7
FEDCO Automotive
7:30 - 8:00 Sign in and Breakfast
8:00 - 9:00 Introductions - Fred DeJohn
FEDCO Company Background by Gary Moose, Tim Brodene
9:00 - 10:00 Company tour - two groups
15 minute break
10:00 - 10:30 FEDCO TQM Process Overview by Wally KensyContinuous Improvement OrganizationProblem Solving Process and Education
10:30 - 11:30 Team PresentationsRibbon Team - Worked on solder dip processA Team - Worked on hand soldered joint. Reduced first-time defects by 50%
11:30 - 11:45 Involvement/Recognition at FEDCO - Wally KensyFactors that contribute to the success of TQM at FEDCO
11:45 - 12:15 Critique/FeedbackGuests are asked to review TQM process at FEDCO and discuss positive and negative aspects.
12:15 - 1:00 Review Critique/Lunch - Fred DeJohnCritiques to be reviewed during lunch
1:00 - 1:15 Wrap up - Fred DeJohnIncludes comments/suggestions regarding core group #7 workshops
