A construction meeting can be an important part of a project. Important decisions can be made or problems can be solved in meetings so running them correctly is important. Today we’re going to share five tips with you on how to ensure your next construction meeting is successful.
Show Up Prepared To Your Construction Meeting
The number one rule to any meeting (regardless of whether it is in construction) is to show up prepared. Before you attend your meeting you should be educated in the subject and have all of the background information. Be educated when you enter so that you can be valuable to the team.
Ensure The Correct People Are At The Construction Meeting
Ever been in a meeting that has too many people? What about a meeting that doesn’t have enough and noone seems to know what’s happening at it? We’ve all been there. It’s very important that when organizing a construction meeting and taking part in one that the correct people are present. Too many and it can waste everyone’s time. Too few and you may not have the correct resources to answer all of the questions.
Understanding the correct number of people for any given subject or meeting will take time to learn.
Start With An Agenda
Prior to commencing the first construction meeting it’s important to develop an agenda in order to keep people on track. Depending upon the subject and nature of the meeting it can something as simple as some hand written notes or subjects.
If your meeting is more formal it may be worthwhile to type up a full agenda that you share with those attending prior to the meeting starting.
The benefit to this approach is that it allows the people attending the meeting to educate themselves in advance.
Keep Accurate Meeting Minutes
Keeping an accurate record of a construction meeting through meeting minutes is important. Being able to reference what happened at the meeting, and, understanding who was responsible for what action items will dictate how the project moves forward.
Meeting minutes aren’t intended to point the finger at someone, but rather, to create accountability and create a historical record of the meeting.
If the meeting is a recurring meeting, a review of the minutes should be performed first followed by new business.
Keep Items High Level Unless The Meeting Is Intended For Detail
To avoid wasting everyone’s time, keep the items for discussion high level. Unless the meeting is specifically to address a certain issue, the items should be kept to a summary, and if additional detail is required a follow up meeting or phone call can be arranged.
Construction meetings are a necessary part of every project, they do not necessarily have to be a waste of time. By following our golden rules above, your next meeting will run smoothly and be more effective.