Oftentimes our meetings have bad endings because they have bad beginnings. If people are confused about the scope of the project, the purpose of the meeting, or their role in the meeting, they will probably not participate effectively. As a business analyst starting a requirements session, even a 1-2 hour meeting, you can do a few things to kick-off that meeting in such a way to maximize effectiveness.
First of all start off with a summary of where you are at in the project. This shouldn’t be a full status report, but just a snapshot of where the project stands. In a larger project, you might consider just giving a snapshot of where you are in the requirements process. The goal will be to frame this meeting in the broader context of the project as a whole.
Second, lay out the goal for this meeting. What do you hope to accomplish? What are you sure you will accomplish? In some meetings I establish a primary goal (we’ve got to get this done to be successful) and an “if there’s time goal”. Having a secondary goal can make use of the valuable time stakeholders have allocated to the meeting and give you an “out” if it risks running over. Just cut the extra item and schedule a follow-up to handle it. [Note: this is not quite the same as a meeting agenda, which is also important. The agenda are the steps you'll take as a group to achieve the goal you've laid out.]
Third, if it isn’t apparent to the group (because you’ve had several similar meetings before) layout the role of each person. Describe why you invited them, what expertise they bring to the table, and what contribution you are expecting them to make. This helps people prepare for the conversations ahead.
The benefit of setting this context in the beginning of the meeting is it gives all the participants a guidebook. It can help later on when you may need to interrupt someone to get the meeting back on track. In many cases it can help avoid tangents altogether.
Of course, there are times when the challenges to frame the meeting are bigger than what can be accomplished in the first 5 minutes. In these cases, you might need to consider a “meeting-before-the-meeting” to frame up expectations and hear out concerns.
I’d be interested to hear any ideas you have for opening up a meeting and how it works in your organization.
Thanks to Jake Calabrese, for his BA World presentation on “Elicitation and Analysis Challenges” for providing the background for this post.
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By Laura Brandenburg. Laura Brandenburg is an independent business analyst consultant. She is passionate about the BA profession and is committed to contributing by supporting this blog as a forum for business analysts to build on each other's experiences. View more blog posts by Laura Brandenburg |
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Laura,
A good article! Especially i find the 3rd step, informing about one anothers’ role in the project, very important. It’s easy to forget this as a project leader because you already know the persons around the table.
I like reading your articles. Keep up the good work!
Rene
Thanks, Rene!
Thanks Laura,
The article is really a good guide. We tend to introspect how each of us conduct meetings. Out of my experience, i would also suggest that once the attendees of the meeting are clear about their roles, they may also be informed about what they are expected to deliver /accomplish, in specific quantifiable terms to fulfill the goal of the meeting. Fixing up responsibility for each of them, and a setting a time line for delivery will make them feel more committed. An informal review meeting to check whether the set time lines are met and if there are any deviations will make the end result of meetings a success. Keep letting us know your thoughts!
Hi Bincy,
Great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
Laura
Hi Laura,
I would suggest one or two more things in addition to the setting up Context for the meeting.
A solid agenda with each item having allocated time helps to keep the audience focused on discussion and refrain from wander around. Such agenda should be made available prior to the meeting.
During the meeting, Keep asking the feedback or opinions of the users on discussion topics. This way it would help grab their attention and make them think.
At the end of the meeting, facilitator should also give brief summary of what was discussed, what decisons were made and what action items were assigned to whom.