Meetings. Meetings. Too Many Meetings!

Joe Wynne is a versatile Project Manager experienced in delivering medium-scope projects in large organizations that improve workforce performance and business processes. He has a proven track record of delivering effective, technology-savvy solutions in a variety of industries and a unique combination of strengths in both process management and workforce management.

 

I remember working at a company and watching each day as parades of glassy-eyed employees marched hourly from meeting to meeting. I thought about the programmers--when did they get a chance to program? The analysts--when did they get a chance to analyze? The team leads--when did they get a chance to coach workers? The project managers--when did they get a chance to bang their heads against the wall?

Workers not only have to attend project-related meetings, but they have to attend department-specific meetings. Then they have to go to process/quality-related meetings. Then they have to squeeze in function-related discussions. Sometimes they even make time for meetings for which the purpose is unclear.

I'm not saying that all meetings are unnecessary. Some meetings are critical for issue resolution and proper planning. These meetings really add value. What we have to take action on is too many meetings too often for too little result, leading to meeting overload where:

• workers feel helpless, unable to control their workweek
• workers must add hours to their workday to complete basic project tasks
• fewer hours are available for project activities
• overall performance of project workers suffers from lack of task prioritization.

What can stop the onslaught of meetings, especially accommodating recently-reduced workforces? Believe it or not, you …

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