Meeting Agenda

A well-structured meeting agenda ensures meetings are focused, productive, and deliver their intended outcomes. This guide covers agenda planning for common project meetings.

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Purpose

Effective agendas:

• Set clear meeting objectives
• Focus discussion on key topics
• Allocate appropriate time
• Enable preparation
• Improve meeting outcomes
• Respect participants’ time

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Common Project Meetings

Meeting Type	Purpose	Frequency
Project Board	Governance, decisions	Monthly
Status Meeting	Progress review	Weekly
Stand-up	Daily coordination	Daily
Planning	Create/review plans	As needed
Review/Gate	Milestone approval	At gates
Retrospective	Continuous improvement	End of iteration
Kick-off	Launch project/phase	Start of project
Stakeholder	Engagement, updates	As needed

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Agenda Structure

Essential Elements

Element	Description
Meeting details	Title, date, time, location
Objective	What the meeting will achieve
Attendees	Required and optional
Pre-reading	Materials to review beforehand
Agenda items	Topics with times and owners
AOB	Any other business
Next meeting	Date of next session

Agenda Item Structure

Field	Purpose
Topic	What will be discussed
Owner	Who will lead this item
Time	Allocated duration
Type	Information, discussion, decision
Pre-reading	Materials needed

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Meeting Agenda Template

Header

Field	Content
Meeting	Project Status Meeting
Project	Customer Portal Enhancement
Date	Monday 20 January 2026
Time	10:00 - 11:00
Location	Conference Room B / Teams
Chair	John Smith (PM)
Scribe	Jane Doe

Objective

Review project progress, address issues, and confirm priorities for the coming week.

Attendees

Name	Role	Required
John Smith	Project Manager	Yes
Sarah Williams	Sponsor	Optional
Mike Brown	Tech Lead	Yes
Carol Jones	BA	Yes
Dave Taylor	QA Lead	Yes

Pre-Reading

Document	Location
Status Report	[Link to report]
Risk Register	[Link to register]
Action Log	[Link to log]

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Agenda Items

Standard Agenda Format

#	Time	Item	Owner	Type
1	10:00 (5 min)	Welcome & Review Actions	Chair	Review
2	10:05 (15 min)	Progress Update	PM	Information
3	10:20 (15 min)	Issues & Risks	Team	Discussion
4	10:35 (10 min)	Decision: Vendor Selection	PM	Decision
5	10:45 (10 min)	Next Week Priorities	Team	Discussion
6	10:55 (5 min)	AOB & Actions	Chair	Review

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Agenda Templates by Meeting Type

Project Board Meeting

#	Time	Item	Owner
1	5 min	Apologies & Minutes	Chair
2	10 min	Project Status Summary	PM
3	10 min	Financial Update	PM
4	10 min	Risk & Issues Review	PM
5	15 min	Key Decisions Required	PM
6	5 min	AOB & Next Meeting	Chair

Weekly Status Meeting

#	Time	Item	Owner
1	5 min	Review Actions	PM
2	15 min	Progress by Workstream	Leads
3	10 min	Issues & Blockers	Team
4	10 min	Risks & Changes	PM
5	5 min	Priorities for Next Week	PM
6	5 min	Actions & Close	PM

Daily Stand-up

#	Time	Item
1	2 min	What I did yesterday
2	2 min	What I’m doing today
3	1 min	Any blockers

Total: 15 minutes

Kick-off Meeting

#	Time	Item	Owner
1	10 min	Welcome & Introductions	Sponsor
2	15 min	Project Overview & Objectives	PM
3	10 min	Scope & Deliverables	PM
4	10 min	Timeline & Milestones	PM
5	10 min	Team & Roles	PM
6	10 min	Ways of Working	PM
7	10 min	Risks & Assumptions	PM
8	10 min	Q&A	All
9	5 min	Next Steps	PM

Stage Gate Review

#	Time	Item	Owner
1	5 min	Welcome & Purpose	Chair
2	15 min	Stage Summary & Achievements	PM
3	10 min	Performance vs Plan	PM
4	10 min	Quality & Risks	PM
5	10 min	Next Stage Plan	PM
6	15 min	Q&A & Discussion	All
7	10 min	Decision	Board
8	5 min	Actions & Close	Chair

Retrospective

#	Time	Item	Owner
1	5 min	Check-in	Facilitator
2	15 min	What Went Well	Team
3	15 min	What Could Improve	Team
4	15 min	Actions & Owners	Team
5	5 min	Close & Feedback	Facilitator

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Time Allocation

Agenda Item Types

Type	Description	Time Guidance
Information	One-way update	5-10 min
Discussion	Two-way dialogue	10-20 min
Decision	Resolution required	10-15 min
Review	Check previous items	5 min
Planning	Collaborative planning	15-30 min

Time Management Tips

Tip	Rationale
Add buffer time	Discussions often overrun
Front-load decisions	Tackle when energy high
Limit information items	Can be shared in writing
Time-box strictly	Respect everyone’s time
Use parking lot	Defer off-topic items

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Meeting Effectiveness

Before the Meeting

Activity	Owner
Send agenda 24+ hours ahead	Chair
Distribute pre-reading	Item owners
Confirm attendee availability	Chair
Prepare any presentations	Item owners
Book room/technology	Organiser

During the Meeting

Activity	Owner
Start on time	Chair
Review objectives	Chair
Stick to agenda	Chair
Capture actions	Scribe
Manage time	Chair
Summarise decisions	Chair

After the Meeting

Activity	Timing	Owner
Distribute minutes	Within 24 hours	Scribe
Assign actions	Immediately	Chair
Follow up on actions	Before next meeting	PM
Update registers	As appropriate	PM

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Virtual Meeting Considerations

Agenda Adjustments

Adjustment	Rationale
Shorter meetings	Screen fatigue
More frequent breaks	Every 45 minutes
Interactive elements	Maintain engagement
Technology buffer	Join early, test
Visual agenda	Share on screen

Engagement Techniques

Technique	When to Use
Round-robin check-in	Meeting start
Named contributions	When seeking input
Chat for questions	Continuous
Polls for decisions	Quick consensus
Cameras on	Throughout

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Decision Items

Preparing Decision Items

Element	Content
Decision required	Clear statement
Background	Context and rationale
Options	Choices available
Recommendation	Preferred option
Implications	Impact of decision

Decision Recording

Field	Content
Decision	What was decided
Date	When decided
Decision maker	Who decided
Rationale	Why this option
Actions	What follows

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Action Items

Action Item Format

Field	Content
Action	What needs to be done
Owner	Single accountable person
Due date	Specific deadline
Status	Open/In Progress/Complete

SMART Actions

Element	Example
Specific	“Update risk register” not “Look at risks”
Measurable	Clear completion criteria
Assignable	Single named owner
Realistic	Achievable by due date
Time-bound	Specific deadline

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Common Issues

Issue	Prevention
No agenda	Always circulate agenda
Too long	Time-box ruthlessly
Off-topic	Use parking lot
No decisions	Clear decision items
No follow-up	Track actions
Wrong attendees	Review attendee list
Late starts	Start on time regardless

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Meeting Agenda Checklist

Planning

• Meeting objective clear?
• Right attendees invited?
• Agenda items identified?
• Time allocated to items?
• Item owners assigned?
• Pre-reading identified?
• Room/technology booked?

Preparation

• Agenda sent 24+ hours ahead?
• Pre-reading distributed?
• Attendees confirmed?
• Materials prepared?
• Technology tested?

During

• Started on time?
• Objectives reviewed?
• Time managed?
• Actions captured?
• Decisions recorded?
• Next meeting confirmed?

After

• Minutes distributed?
• Actions assigned?
• Decisions communicated?
• Follow-up scheduled?

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Related Resources

• Meeting Minutes - Recording meetings
• Decision Log - Tracking decisions
• Action Tracker - Managing actions
• Workshop Planner - Workshop facilitation
• Communication Plan - Communication planning