Optimized Template for Meeting Invitation with External Contacts

Optimized Template for Meeting Invitation with External Contacts

 

One of the greatest services that an administrative professional such as an Executive Assistant or Coordinator can offer their team members is to ensure that things are well prepared and to make them as simple as possible.  By having a meeting invitation that is clear, concise, and contains all of the pertinent information in a simple-to-navigate format, all parties can dive right into adding value with their time spent.  Otherwise a lot of time may be wasted on all sides just trying to understand why the meeting is occurring, who should be leading, and other basic logistics.

Here are the key parts to a very effective Meeting Invitation:

1.     Subject – The goal of the subject line is for the recipient to be quickly aware of all critical information without having to open the invitation. 

Include the following:

·       External company or vendor name

·       Your company name

·       Type and/or topic of meeting

·       Note: If a meeting is required to be conducted in person that typically does not happen in person, you want to make that very clear

      Example:   Gregory Capital + VMBC – Proposal Review – In-Person Meeting

 

2.     Location – Input the address, telephone number, and any other details such as a meeting room.  If the meeting is happening remotely, include the call in phone number and required codes.

              Example:   BBH Executive Office: 1 Columbia Ste. 250 Aliso Viejo, CA  92656 - 949.215.7942 - Large Conference Room

               Example:   Conference Line #1:  877-555-1212 / Attendee: 123456# / Moderator: 987654#

 

3.     Body – The large blank area of the content is very helpful for all other details that are great to reference during the meeting.  If there are any documents to be reviewed, include those as well.  Many people will be rushing and possibly even join late.  Having everything they need there, handy and well-prepared, will bring a lot of harmony to the time spent together.

Include the following:

·       A summary of why there is a change being sent out if anything has changed

·       Contact information if any changes are needed

·       Arrival information for new visitors

·       Agenda

·       Attendees, reference information about them including links to their website, and roles (if applicable)

               Example:  

Please contact Dani directly if any changes are needed to this appointment: email@address.com or 949.555.1212.

Arrival information:

Pull around to the back of the building and enter the large door on the left side when facing the building.  We are located upstairs – straight ahead when you reach the top. 

 

Agenda:

1.      Review Proposal

2.      Discuss Next Steps

 

Attendees:

Jesse Crowe, CEO – Beyond Blue Holdings, Inc. and VMBC

John Smith, Vice President – Gregory Capital

Danielle West, Executive Associate – Beyond Blue Holdings, Inc. and VMBC

 

I hope that you find this template easy-to-use when creating meeting invitations via Outlook or other calendar programs.  Simply copy, paste, edit, and you're done!

Have any additional suggestions?  We'd love to hear them!

 

Work Session Best Practices (aka Meetings)

 

This document was created for our employees to understand how our work sessions operate so that each shows up ready to collaborate and well-prepared with the tools for an effective a work session.  We are sharing it here in case it inspires anyone else on ways to set up their meetings to be more effective.  We continuously update this best practice to improve the way our meetings work.   

 

We call our meetings Work Sessions.  Work Sessions are optimized meetings that make more efficient use of all attendees’ time.  They facilitate more rapid decision making and empower collaboration.  With the use of this system, all participants are aware of their individual role during the work session, are well prepared to make most efficient use of the time, are focused on what is important, contribute toward solving challenges, and clearly know the desired outcome. 

 

The Process

For any work session to be successful, group collaboration is required. 

 

Roles

·       Project Leader – The person responsible for managing the completion and organization of the work as well as ensuring the outcome is achieved wears the hat of the Project Leader.  The more involved the Project Leader is in the work session process, the more successful the outcome will be. 

·       Coordinator – The person responsible for providing administrative support to the Project Leader wears the hat of the Coordinator.  The Coordinator works closely with the Project Leader to provide assistance, take meeting minutes, follow up on progress, and make sure all steps in the Work Sessions Best Practice are completed.

·       Contributor – A contributor prepares documentation (as assigned), updates their assignments in Workfront, and offers input based on expertise.

·       Stakeholder – A stakeholder attends the meeting to participate in the discussion and offers input based on their expertise. [Typically Program Managers and/or Functional Managers]

·       Reviewer – A reviewer reviews the recommendations and work to approve or discuss what is needed for approval.  [Typically Managers, Directors, President, and/or CEO]

The Project Leader and the Coordinator shall utilize the Work Session Checklist to ensure all steps are taken care of.  This tool can be used to help decide who is responsible for what for each work session.  The Coordinator is responsible for working with the Project Leader and making sure every item is tended to on the Work Session Checklist for every work session.

Additional roles are important as well.  What is most important is that each role is clearly identified in the work session invitation so everyone knows why they are there and what they are expected to contribute.  Standardized roles are defined in the Work Session Form Template.

 

The Basics

Please note that all work sessions require documentation.  No work session should ever be scheduled without some type of well-prepared document to review.  The intention of a work session is to review content that was prepared beforehand, is documented in a clear and effective manner, and to collaborate to achieve an ideal outcome, determine next steps, or to get direction from a superior. 

 

The Coordinator should review all documentation meets the standards as requested per the last work session (if applicable) before the work session begins.  If the documentation specifically requested last work session is not ready, the Coordinator is to advise the person responsible for the documentation on how to improve it and also notify the Reviewer that the work session is not prepared.  It is up to the Reviewer to determine if they want to reschedule the meeting. 

 

Step 1: Make the Agenda [Coordinator]

Before doing anything else, draft the agenda.  The agenda is often very simple but having an optimized agenda will ensure effective use of time and is required for every work session.  The agenda will detail key points that are to be discussed and help participants come prepared.  Work with the Project Leader to prepare the agenda.

 

Before you can create an effective agenda, you must know who will be attending the work session.  You want to make sure all of the right people are in the room to help create the best decision with unique insights.  Identify who will be impacted by the decisions that are being made – both downstream and upstream.  Confirm with the Project Leader that all participants are included that need to be.  Every agenda should always include an opportunity for feedback from the team as well as an agreement about the deliverables (in SMARTER format) to have ready for the next work session and when to meet next.

 

Suggested Agenda (to be customized per work session needs):

1.     Review Progress on Previously Assigned Deliverables.  Each work session should begin with reviewing progress on the deliverables from the previous work session, if applicable.  Paste the deliverables into the agenda and attach any associated documentation right next to each deliverable in the same order. 

2.     Gather Feedback. After each deliverable is reviewed, all participants have an opportunity to provide insights or feedback on the deliverables themselves.  Feedback is captured via the Work Session Notes so that the deliverables will be updated with the team’s feedback.

3.     Review the Status of all other Pending Items.  Look at the overall Action Plan to confirm all items are progressing as needed.  Discuss anything that is held back and when it can be expected to be done.

4.     Confirm When to Meet Next and Deliverables to Review Then.  The group shall discuss when the next set of deliverables will be ready for review, what should be focused on next, and when to schedule the next work session.

5.     Set the stage.  All of the big picture information should be included in the agenda for continuous clarity.  There is no need to discuss it each time but it should always be visible for everyone to see in the invitation.

a.     Why the work session or project is taking place

b.     The desired outcome(s)

c.      The participants’ roles and responsibilities

Step 2: Prepare Your Documentation [Project Leader]

The intention of a work session is to review content that was prepared beforehand and is documented in a clear and effective manner, discuss progress that was made, collaborate on an ideal outcome and/or next steps, or to get direction from a superior.  Each work session will have different documentation.  All documents must have enough content to review and have clear prioritization with visibility into the background process.

 

The documentation for a Work Session varies depending upon the content.  Suggestions:

1.      If deliverables were assigned that need to be reviewed, insert the documents that were created per the assignments. 

2.      For each work session, include the Work Session Form and its Action Plan unless this is a first meeting in a series or a single meeting to focus on reviewing one document.  Instructions on How to Create or Edit a Work Session Form are located in SharePoint.

3.      If the work session is to solve a problem, a PowerPoint presentation is a great way to reframe the problem into an ideal, Measurable Outcome and detail customized solutions for our company in a clear manner. 

4.      Sometimes a spreadsheet with formulas is helpful to attach as well.  That way, the reviewer can test formulas and shift models easily.

Note:  Google Drive is recommended for documents that will be edited by multiple people so that edits can be made at the same time during the work session.  Ideal documents to utilize the Google Drive include:

·        Work Session Forms

·        PODs that are being developed

For more information on how to utilize Google Drive, please review Google Docs – How to Upload.  Also please note that we do have a Shared Google Drive.   Login info is limited to Coordinators and Project Leaders to provide some control over documents.

 

Step 3: Schedule the Work Session [Coordinator]

Only once you have all of the above completed, schedule the work session by sending an invitation from Outlook.  It is ideal to set work sessions a day or two out so that all attendees can prepare properly and have enough time to ensure they got the message.  If a work session needs to be rescheduled, please be sure to do it at least 30 minutes prior to the start to avoid wasted time of people waiting for attendees (preferably at least two hours ahead so people can plan their work accordingly). 

 

Step 4: Send Reminder the Day Prior [Coordinator]

Send the Work Session Preparation Email Template or a similar reminder to all attendees the night prior to the work session to prompt updates in Workfront of the specific tasks and ensure preparedness for the work session.  Updates are due the following morning.  Modify the message as needed. 

 

It is ideal that all contributors post status updates in Workfront by the end of day on the day prior to the scheduled work session and send updated documents to the team.  This gives the Coordinator sufficient time to update invitation and provide a brief description of “Progress Since Last Work Session” on the Work Session Form.  If updates are not made by the end of day on the day before a work session, they need to be emailed directly to the Project Leader and CC’d to the Coordinator.  All updates are due at least two hours prior to the scheduled work session.  If documents are not received at least two hours prior, the work session may be delayed.

 

Step 5:  Final Preparation for the Work Session [Coordinator]

Make sure that updates are in from all contributors at least two hours prior to the work session.  If attendees are not prepared, the work session should be pushed out if possible.  Get all updates into the Outlook Invitation at least one hour prior to the start of the work session to avoid delays which may affect others and ensure receipt.

 

Coordinator is to review documentation and compare it against the previous Work Session Notes to ensure it is to the standards as requested in the last work session.  If the documents are not prepared as requested, the Coordinator is to advise the Reviewer. The Reviewer will decide whether to reschedule the work session or review what is ready so far.  To update the Work Session Form, follow the process outlined in the document How to Create or Edit a Work Session Form.

 

One Hour Prior: Send Out all Work Session Materials via Updated Outlook Invitation

All documents, the WSF, and the Outlook Invitation must be finalized at least one hour prior to the start of the work session to avoid delay in receipt and miscommunications.

1.      Review the quality of documents before work sessions and ensure they fit all the previous requests per the last Work Session Notes.

2.      Make final update to Outlook Invitation (see examples in Step 3). 

a.      Put documentation in the same order as the tasks are listed in the Action Plan on the WSF.

b.      If there is a WSF, be sure it is updated in the invitation to show progress since last work session.

Project Leader is to oversee that updates are input correctly and all information is given to Coordinator.  If any information is missing, Project Leader is to encourage updates by the team.

 

Step 6:  Conduct the Work Session

Coordinator’s Role During the Work Session

While in the work session, the Coordinator will watch the agenda and make sure the agenda is progressing.  The agenda for any project should always start with reviewing the progress on the previously assigned deliverables.  The Coordinator will take notes in the Work Session Notes template.  See How to Take Work Session Notes for more information.

 

If the work session goes over in time, the Coordinator is to communicate this to the team.  A 5-10 minute notice is advised.  Prior to the close of the work session, the Coordinator is responsible for confirming when the next work session date should be and what key deliverables they expect ready when they meet next.  The group is to agree to a reasonable time frame and deliverables.  This information should be added to the Work Session Notes.

 

Capturing Feedback is Essential

After each topic discussed, time should be given for feedback.  Work sessions should focus around solicitation of feedback rather than a presentation for 90% of the work session with a little time left for response. 

 

Capturing the feedback is critical and must be well thought out in advance.  For work sessions where participant feedback is critical, each participant should either bring a note sheet or an excel document to insert feedback on each aspect presented on the spot and give to the Coordinator to compile results. All feedback should be sent ASAP to the Coordinator so that the info can be added to the Work Session Notes.

 

Step 7:  Follow Up   

After the work session, be sure to do the following:

 

Refine and Send Work Session Notes.  [Coordinator]

1.      Refine the Notes.  Be sure they flow properly and rearrange if needed.  Organize via a numbered list in a manner that is most easy to follow.  Check for spelling and opportunities to make them clearer.  Bold key items.  Be sure documents are referred to by specific title and version if applicable.

2.      Bring down all Deliverables.  Review all notes and make sure all deliverables are moved down to the deliverables section and are listed in a SMARTER format. 

3.      Post Full Work Session Notes in Workfront.  Post the full Work Session Notes in Workfront directly in the main Project on the Updates tab.  Insert notes directly into the status update of the task rather than attaching. [Do not post if contains confidential information]

a.      Double check that the full notes are posted.  If they were cut off due to a character limit, paste the rest as a comment to it.  Repeat as needed.

                                                    i.     If tasks are discussed which fit in a different project than the main project that was being discussed, be sure to update the status of the appropriate project as well.  If needed, create the task or project.  Be sure to use SMARTER format.

Update the Work Session Form.  [Coordinator]

1.      Update the Action Plan of the Work Session Form.  Add new deliverables and updates received during work session.

a.      Hyperlink Action Items to WorkfrontTasks.  Be sure that each Reference # of each sub-task listed in the Action Plan section of the Work Session Form is hyperlinked to the associated Task in Workfront.

b.      Update Workfront assignments if updates are not showing as discussed in the meeting.

c.      If needed, create tasks that are not already created.  Be sure to search to ensure any new tasks have not already been created to avoid duplication and disorganization.  Create them in SMARTER format. Input a SMARTER description, planned hours, due date, and assignee. 

Distribute Work Session Information to All Attendees.                                                               [Coordinator]

1.      Send an email with the Work Session Notes and Updated Action Plan to all Attendees.  Attach the Work Session Notes document, paste the notes in the body of the email as well for ease of review, and paste the updated Action Plan at the bottom of the email.  Send this email to attendees as soon as possible after the work session – by the latest – the following day after it.  Many people rely on the details in this message so sending this as soon as possible facilitates the team being able to advance.

2.      Make sure to save a copy of the Work Session Notes in the Meetings Folder on SharePoint.

Review Updated Tasks in AtTask.  [Project Leader]

a.      Review that new tasks are set up properly, have a SMARTER description, the correct amount of planned hours, appropriate due date, and correct assignee. 

Schedule Follow Up Work session.  [Coordinator]

1.      Schedule the next work session right away – as part of the close out process – to ensure it is in the calendar and not forgotten.  See steps 1-3 in this Best Practice to create the agenda, documentation, and invitation needed.

2.      Double check the Work Session Checklist to confirm that all steps were completed.  Send confirmation to the Project Leader.

Additional Follow up [Coordinator]

1.      Work with the Project Leader/Contributor(s) to update the Action Plan items as needed, ensure that the entire Work Session Checklist is followed, and oversee that the overall progression is moving along as quickly as possible . 

2.      Keep an overall eye on deliverables and help them progress.  Update deliverables in WSF prior to any future work session to allow them to move quickly. 

3.      Every week make sure all required work sessions are scheduled and all prior deliverables are moving forward.  Keep copies of one-off Work Session Notes in your tickler folder in Outlook with a reminder to ensure you check on them monthly, or more often as needed.

Please note we also have a Work Session Checklist which should be utilized for each work session by the Project Leader and Coordinator to ensure all appropriate steps are followed.  It is available in the Knowledge Center on SharePoint under Shared Documents.

Guidelines for Research Projects

Take your time to thoroughly analyze the variables, educate yourself on the topic, and then recommend the 3 best options.   
Depending upon the level of the project, use common sense to apply these best practices.  If you are researching a new software that will be implemented to the whole company, more thorough analysis is recommended.  If you are researching a new window washing service, a very light version of this would work. J

·       Determine key variables.  Put yourself in the buyer or decision maker’s position and try to determine what your concerns and questions would be.  Think beyond the original assignment.  Create a template of questions to ask the vendors that you will call.

·       Create a spreadsheet.  List each key variable, every vendor that you contact, any misc. notes to keep everything in one place as you analyze the options.  Each vendor you research should have their own row.  Include a column for each variable, your feedback, reviews, vendor name, and phone number.  As you work on this project continuously update this spreadsheet with all of your notes as your project information database.  Make sure the spreadsheet prints well (1 page wide, etc.) before sending. 

·       Research online.  Find several vendors online that seem to be good fits for your variables.  As you research, see if you learn of new questions or variables you should consider.  Add notes from this to your spreadsheet.

·       Call the vendors.  Call and talk to them.  Ask questions.  Try a few sales reps, if needed.  Learn about the information as much as possible.  Ask why they are the best.  Take these reasons into consideration to ask other vendors as well.  New variables and considerations may pop up from this process. Add notes from this to your spreadsheet. Good sources are key to finding out credible information for providing reliable information on the projects we need accomplished.  It is key to call the different people and listen to the information that they provide you while you are educating yourself on whatever the project is at hand.

·       Read reviews.  Find reviews online (not from their site that they have chosen, but on unbiased websites that will show you what customers really think, such as Yelp, etc.).  Add notes to your spreadsheet.

·       Present your top 3.  Draft an email with a brief write up about the top 2-3 companies that you recommend, in order of your preference.  Simplify the information so that it is easy to determine the essential information and highlight the standout information you learned while researching.  You are trying to assist the reviewer to make the best decision.  Attach the analysis spreadsheet if you created one as well as any other helpful information such as links to websites, etc. so that they can dig into the detail - if they want to.

 

Do you have any other suggestions? :)