The full definition for terms included in this article (listed below) can be found in the HKP Glossary.

• Brainstorming 
• Virtual Meeting 
• Hybrid Meeting 

Meetings afford project team members who occupy different roles and who have different subject-matter expertise the opportunity to collaborate, brainstorm, share information, and formulate a plan of action to ensure that project development is efficient, effective, and — ultimately — successful. Beyond facilitating project work, meetings help participants get to know their colleagues, build community, and establish a shared sense of purpose.

For Project Managers (PMs), organizing a meeting is a challenging but critical task. Participants get the most out of meetings that are well-organized and have defined goals. When attendees walk out of a thoughtfully run meeting, they are clear on next steps, understand how responsibilities are distributed among team members, and grasp how the team will collaborate to deliver a successful project.

Although meetings play a valuable role in project development, people can become frustrated when they take part in meetings they perceive as unnecessary or that are improperly run. As such, before calling a meeting PMs should carefully assess if one is necessary or if another means of communication may be more efficient to address the issue at hand. No hard and fast rules can dictate if a particular situation warrants a meeting. PMs build up their intuition over time about when meetings are the best option to facilitate communication and information exchange.

If a PM is uncertain whether a meeting is needed, a good starting point is to review Section 6, which introduces meeting types often encountered during project development. The HKP article Common Project Team Meetings provides more information on topics addressed at these meetings. After looking at this material, if a PM is still uncertain whether a meeting is required, they will benefit from seeking the advice from their Project Development Branch Manager or senior PMs.

This article walks PMs through key considerations related to meeting scheduling, format, organization, and execution and provides tips for deciding if a meeting is needed.

KYTC relies on three meeting formats — in-person, virtual, or hybrid (where some people attend in person while others participate on a platform such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom). Each meeting format has limitations and benefits. PMs should be mindful of when deciding on the best option.

2.1 In-Person Meetings

Some issues are best addressed through in-person collaborations. To determine if an in-person meeting is the most appropriate format, PMs should consider the following factors:

• Number of participants
• Planned activities (e.g., brainstorming)
• Complexity of topics that will be addressed
• Required outcomes/deliverables

In-person collaborations are a good solution for meetings that will address a range of complex topics and require sustained interactions between all participants. During in-person meetings participants communicate through body language, gestures, and facial expressions, which are typically lost in virtual meetings but which may be critical for understanding someone’s perspective.

2.2 Virtual Meetings

In-person meetings are not always possible, especially if participants are spread across multiple locations or have professional and/or personal obligations that prevent their attending. Virtual meetings provide a good alternative in these cases and have the virtue of broadening representation as well as the range of voices that can be heard. Some participants may feel more comfortable engaging in a virtual meeting than during in-person meetings. Agendas for virtual meetings should include instructions for logging on and describe meeting etiquette. PMs should:

• Request that participants keep their cameras turned on.
• Use the gallery view option to establish a sense of community and promote dialogue.
• Have participants display their full names on the screen.
• Request that participants mute their microphones when they are not speaking.
• Provide instructions for how to ask questions.
• Utilize the chat functionality by asking a team member to oversee and help manage the communication.
• Assign someone as the note taker to document the meeting minutes.

2.3 Hybrid Meetings

When some meeting participants are in a shared physical space while others attend virtually, the main difficulty PMs negotiate is the engagement challenge — focusing their attention on both virtual and in-person attendees at once and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to participate in the conversations. 360-degree cameras (e.g., Meeting Owl) are valuable tools for improving hybrid meetings. These cameras zoom into the face of whomever is speaking at the in-person session, which helps virtual participants see people they are engaging with. Holding the in-person component of a meeting in a room that has a large screen on which to project virtual attendees is important for sustaining engagement between all participants. 

For hybrid meetings with many attendees, the PM should consider having a facilitator monitor virtual participants, make sure their voices are heard, and document their contributions. If a PM cannot secure a facilitator, they need to take extra care to regularly check in with and engage virtual attendees.

Meetings often fail when participants feel they are unproductive or unneeded. Before scheduling a meeting, PMs should determine if a meeting is the best way to communicate information to participants, support collaborations between team members, and accomplish stated objectives. If achieving these goals without a meeting is possible, the PM may want to explore other methods to address issues with the project team. Once a PM decides a meeting is the way to go, the checklist in Table 1 can guide preparations and lay the groundwork for success.

Coordinating interactions between participants is one of the most challenging aspects of conducting a meeting. Some people are outspoken, while others are more reserved and reluctant to engage. PMs can adopt several strategies to ensure quieter attendees have a chance to participate. Implementation of these strategies should begin during the planning stage. Waiting until a meeting begins to figure out how to get everyone involved is not effective.

Good strategies for bringing quieter participants into the fold include:

• Assigning them a lead role in the discussion of a particular topic. Let them know ahead of time (preferably two weeks) that they will help lead the discussion. This gives them ample time to prepare.
• Having a one-on-one conversation before the meeting. Explain they were invited to the meeting to share their expertise with the group and that the project team values their knowledge and experiences. Let them know they will be called on when issues related to their expertise arise because the team needs their input.
• Planning small group discussions in which all group members participate and write down ideas to submit to the PM for consideration by the entire group. Working in a small group provokes less anxiety than having to speak in front of the entire meeting.
• Encouraging the use of chat boxes to submit ideas and questions in meetings with a virtual component.

Thoughtful and deliberate planning sets up a meeting for success, but PMs must execute on their plan for a meeting to achieve its stated objectives. The checklist in Table 2 can assist with conducting meetings.

Once a meeting concludes, the PM or consultant should finalize the draft meeting minutes and circulate them to all participants as soon as possible. Because minutes function as a meeting’s official record, they must be succinct, clear, and comprehensive. Readers should be able to completely understand what occurred at the meeting, what decisions were made, who is responsible for resolving action items, and how the project team intends to move forward.

When distributing meeting minutes to attendees, specify that they have seven business days to submit comments. The PM or consultant responsible for compiling the minutes should review comments and revise accordingly. Once the meeting minutes are finalized, they should be distributed to all attendees and documented in ProjectWise.

Throughout project development, PMs will organize and coordinate several types of meetings. Table 3 lists the most common meetings. PMs should keep in mind that meeting requirements vary by project type. For example, a capital improvement project requires most of the meetings listed in Table 3 but they are rarely needed for maintenance projects. On asset management and safety projects, the level of project complexity influences decisions about which meetings should be held.

The HKP article Common Project Team Meetings provides in-depth information on each meeting type, including what topics are discussed, who should be invited, which materials should be prepared in advance (e.g., plans, typical sections), and expected outcomes.

PMGB: Common Project Team Meetings

PMGB: Effective Communication in Project Management

PMGB: Project Scoping

PMGB: Public Involvement with Customers and Stakeholders

PMGB: PM and Preliminary Design

PMGB: PM and Final Design

PMGB: Project Schedule and Development of Milestones

PMGB: Project Management and Utility Coordination

PMGB: Preparing for Letting

HKP: Understanding a Consultant Contract