Just wanted a general opinion from other PM's on the topic of Team Meetings. Do you feel that it is beneficial to have ALL team members present at regular status reviews, regardless of whether there is an immediate deliverable or issue for them to be discussed?
I find that if you allow these people the freedom to only join as necessary, there is a valuable synergy that is lost. Other people's discussions can always trigger a thought or concern which may have otherwise remained dormant and potentially a gotch'a! in the end. Further, one should never underestimate the value they may be able to add to resolving another's issue or challenge.
What does everyone think? Saving Changes...
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Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
I think team meetings come in two flavors; limited and full. The limited status meeting focuses on upcoming deliverables and is limited to only those who will play a role in the delivery. The full meeting is more of a family gathering and is a problem solving and continuity building activity.
In either case team meetings should be focused on celibrating successes, solving logistic issues and looking forward. I hate meetings where each person delivers a long-winded accounting of their activities over the last week, month ..... Saving Changes...
There are a lot of meetings in projects. As much as I hate meetings, they serve a valuable purpose. I agree with Mr Woods, there are times for full meetings and times for more limited meetings. In general, full meetings should focus on progress and significant issues. I think these should involve the customer and other important business representatives. These meetings are about communication, team building and celebrating success, as Mr Woods describes. There should be room on the agenda for the PM to present the current plan and outstanding issues. As well as time to mark passage of milestones, and discuss next steps. For team building, include time to recognize people for their efforts or significant life events. On the other side of the coin is the technical team meeting where issues and personal progress can be shared. This meeting should allow time for everyone to talk about what they are doing and where they may need help. Of course, these meetings must be closely managed to keep people from rambling. One rule of thumb I apply to either of these meetings is: Discuss the situation, don't resolve it. The meetings should introduce problems and allow people to connect with others, the true problem solving should be put off until after the meeting. On the typcial project, you have more problems than meeting time to deal with them all. Saving Changes...
