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- Management Reference Guide
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Strategic Management
- Establishing Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
- Aligning IT Goals with Corporate Business Goals
- Utilizing Effective Planning Techniques
- Developing Worthwhile Mission Statements
- Developing Worthwhile Vision Statements
- Instituting Practical Corporate Values
- Budgeting Considerations in an IT Environment
- Introduction to Conducting an Effective SWOT Analysis
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part One
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part Two
- Customer Management
- Identifying Key External Customers
- Identifying Key Internal Customers
- Negotiating with Customers and Suppliers—Part 1: An Introduction
- Negotiating With Customers and Suppliers—Part 2: Reaching Agreement
- Negotiating and Managing Realistic Customer Expectations
- Service Management
- Identifying Key Services for Business Users
- Service-Level Agreements That Really Work
- How IT Evolved into a Service Organization
- FAQs About Systems Management (SM)
- FAQs About Availability (AV)
- FAQs About Performance and Tuning (PT)
- FAQs About Service Desk (SD)
- FAQs About Change Management (CM)
- FAQs About Configuration Management (CF)
- FAQs About Capacity Planning (CP)
- FAQs About Network Management
- FAQs About Storage Management (SM)
- FAQs About Production Acceptance (PA)
- FAQs About Release Management (RM)
- FAQs About Disaster Recovery (DR)
- FAQs About Business Continuity (BC)
- FAQs About Security (SE)
- FAQs About Service Level Management (SL)
- FAQs About Financial Management (FN)
- FAQs About Problem Management (PM)
- FAQs About Facilities Management (FM)
- Process Management
- Developing Robust Processes
- Establishing Mutually Beneficial Process Metrics
- Change Management—Part 1
- Change Management—Part 2
- Change Management—Part 3
- Audit Reconnaissance: Releasing Resources Through the IT Audit
- Problem Management
- Problem Management–Part 2: Process Design
- Problem Management–Part 3: Process Implementation
- Business Continuity Emergency Communications Plan
- Capacity Planning – Part One: Why It is Seldom Done Well
- Capacity Planning – Part Two: Developing a Capacity Planning Process
- Capacity Planning — Part Three: Benefits and Helpful Tips
- Capacity Planning – Part Four: Hidden Upgrade Costs and
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 1
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 2
- 20 Major Elements of Facilities Management
- Major Physical Exposures Common to a Data Center
- Evaluating the Physical Environment
- Nightmare Incidents with Disaster Recovery Plans
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process – Part Two
- Automating a Robust Infrastructure Process
- Improving High Availability — Part One: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Two: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Three: The Seven R's of High Availability
- Improving High Availability — Part Four: Assessing an Availability Process
- Methods for Brainstorming and Prioritizing Requirements
- Introduction to Disk Storage Management — Part One
- Storage Management—Part Two: Performance
- Storage Management—Part Three: Reliability
- Storage Management—Part Four: Recoverability
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part One
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part Two
- Meeting Today's Cooling Challenges of Data Centers
- Strategic Security, Part One: Assessment
- Strategic Security, Part Two: Development
- Strategic Security, Part Three: Implementation
- Strategic Security, Part Four: ITIL Implications
- Production Acceptance Part One – Definition and Benefits
- Production Acceptance Part Two – Initial Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Three – Middle Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Four – Ongoing Steps
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part One – Objectives
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part Two – SWOT
- Case Study: Implementing an ITIL Service Desk – Part One
- Case Study: Implementing a Service Desk Part Two – Tool Selection
- Ethics, Scandals and Legislation
- Outsourcing in Response to Legislation
- Supplier Management
- Identifying Key External Suppliers
- Identifying Key Internal Suppliers
- Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service
- Enhancing the Customer/Supplier Matrix
- Voice Over IP, Part One — What VoIP Is, and Is Not
- Voice Over IP, Part Two — Benefits, Cost Savings and Features of VoIP
- Application Management
- Production Acceptance
- Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications
- Assessing a Production Acceptance Process
- Effective Use of a Software Development Life Cycle
- The Role of Project Management in SDLC— Part 2
- Communication in Project Management – Part One: Barriers to Effective Communication
- Communication in Project Management – Part Two: Examples of Effective Communication
- Safeguarding Personal Information in the Workplace: A Case Study
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 1: Building a Manageable Schedule
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 2: Tracking and Reporting Availability
- References
- Developing an ITIL Feasibility Analysis
- Organization and Personnel Management
- Optimizing IT Organizational Structures
- Factors That Influence Restructuring Decisions
- Alternative Locations for the Help Desk
- Alternative Locations for Database Administration
- Alternative Locations for Network Operations
- Alternative Locations for Web Design
- Alternative Locations for Risk Management
- Alternative Locations for Systems Management
- Practical Tips To Retaining Key Personnel
- Benefits and Drawbacks of Using IT Consultants and Contractors
- Deciding Between the Use of Contractors versus Consultants
- Managing Employee Skill Sets and Skill Levels
- Assessing Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff
- Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside
- Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate
- 7 Tips for Managing the Use of Mobile Devices
- Useful Websites for IT Managers
- References
- Automating Robust Processes
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part One: Quality and Value
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part Two: Benefits and Use of a Quality-Value Matrix
- When Should You Integrate or Segregate Service Desks?
- Five Instructive Ideas for Interviewing
- Eight Surefire Tips to Use When Being Interviewed
- 12 Helpful Hints To Make Meetings More Productive
- Eight Uncommon Tips To Improve Your Writing
- Ten Helpful Tips To Improve Fire Drills
- Sorting Out Today’s Various Training Options
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 1
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 2
- 12 Tips for More Effective Emails
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part One
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Two
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Three
- Asset Management
- Managing Hardware Inventories
- Introduction to Hardware Inventories
- Processes To Manage Hardware Inventories
- Use of a Hardware Inventory Database
- References
- Managing Software Inventories
- Business Continuity Management
- Ten Lessons Learned from Real-Life Disasters
- Ten Lessons Learned From Real-Life Disasters, Part 2
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 1
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 2
- 15 Common Terms and Definitions of Business Continuity
- The Federal Government’s Role in Disaster Recovery
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 1
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 2
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 3
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 4
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 1
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 2
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 3
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 4
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part One
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Two
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Three
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Four
- The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- The Origins of ITIL
- The Foundation of ITIL: Service Management
- Five Reasons for Revising ITIL
- The Relationship of Service Delivery and Service Support to All of ITIL
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part One
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part Two
- Characteristics of ITIL Version 3
- Ten Benefits of itSMF and its IIL Pocket Guide
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Delivery Processes
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Support Processes
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part One: Service Delivery Processes
- Case Study: Recovery Reactions to a Renegade Rodent
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part Two: Service Support
- Case Studies
- Case Study — Preparing for Hurricane Charley
- Case Study — The Linux Decision
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at an Aerospace Firm
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at a Defense Contractor
- Case Study — Evaluating Mainframe Processes
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part One: Quantitative Comparisons/Natural Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Two: Quantitative Comparisons/Man-made Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Three: Qualitative Comparisons
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Four: Take-Aways
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part One: Planning
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Two: Planning and Walk-Through
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Three: Execution
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Four: Follow-Up
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part One: Qualitative Measures
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part Two: Quantitative Measures
- Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part One: What Did the Team Do Well
- (d) Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part Two
Numerous studies confirm that IT professionals that IT professionals can spend up to 50 percent of their time in meetings. It stands to reason that the higher the position of management that an individual holds, the more time that person will spend in these questionable periods of time known as meetings. Why are so many meetings needed? And more importantly, why are they so often assessed as colossal wastes of time? This article examines the valid and invalid needs of a meeting, and presents in detail Twelve Helpful Hints To Make Meetings More Productive.
Valid and Invalid Reasons for Having Meetings
There are many different types of meetings and valid reasons for conducting each of these. I list below some of the more common types of meetings, and the reasons for conducting them.
- Planning - Interacting with several people on a specific planning issue from planning a project or a disaster recovery exercise to planning for the company picnic or holiday party.
- Problem Solving - Assembling a cross-functional group of individuals to arrive at a solution to a perplexing problem. The problem may be technical in nature such as outages or security breaches, or personnel oriented such as high turnover or thefts of equipment.
- Performance Evaluation - Conducting a review of an individual's performance to highlight areas of growth and development and to discuss skills and behaviors requiring improvement.
- Staff - A staff meeting is one of the most common meetings for a manager to hold. Its reasons are to exchange a variety of relevant information to and among staff members and to solicit ideas or reactions about specific topics.
- All Hands - This meeting is similar to a staff meeting except it involves a large group of people, typically from an entire department or division. It may entail hundreds of attendees.
- Focus - Collecting candid, sometimes confidential information about a product, service or issue. These meeting are usually conducted with a small, representative sample of a larger population to gather input about individuals feel about a certain matter.
- Brainstorming - Conducted to identify relatively large numbers of ideas to improve a process or a work activity. One variation of this can be a SWOT session to brainstorm the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, or threat of an entity. Another variation is a lessons learned debriefing to evaluate what went right and wrong during a given activity.
- Personnel Issue - Held in private, usually one-on-one, with the intent to coach, counsel or console an employee about a specific personnel matter.
Just as there are numerous valid grounds for conducting a meeting, there are also several invalid reasons for scheduling and holding a meeting. Among these are:
- not being able to immediately contact a person by telephone
- not being able to reach a person by email
- having excess time to spend when a sense of urgency is needed
- having a need for social interaction
- wanting to formalize an informal issue unnecessarily
12 Helpful Hints
The following are ten helpful hints that will make your meetings more productive.
- Type - Determine what type of meeting you are planning to conduct. It would normally one of the eights types discussed in the previous section. Knowing what type of meeting it is helps with subsequent steps such as objectives and participants.
- Objectives – Identify and prioritize the objectives of the meeting. For most meetings there is usually one overriding purpose, and it may have several secondary objectives supporting it. These should all be known at the outset and the overriding should also be stated in the meeting notice.
- Participants – Identify all appropriate participants for the meeting. Base this decision on the type and objectives of the meeting.
- Logistics – Plan for the appropriate size and location of the meeting room, the optimal day of the week and hour of the day, availability of participants, and reasonable amount of lead time.
- Notices – Schedule the meeting according to the logistics and participants already identified; for long lead meetings consider sending out a reminder notice a few days prior to the meeting.
- Materials – Generate the required meeting materials such as agenda, objectives, action item form and other handouts depending on the type of meeting called. Materials may be sent out in softcopy form days before the meeting, but it is always a good idea to bring along a few extra copies.
- Timing – Start and end the meeting on time. Avoid booking meetings back to back if at all possible.
- Roles – Depending on the type of meeting, assign roles appropriate roles. These may include a timekeeper to mange pace, a facilitator to manage discussions, and a scribe to manage note taking.
- Pacing – Agree upon the agenda at the outset and stick to it. Utilize a timekeeper and a facilitator to help in this regard when appropriate.
- Minutes – The assigned scribe is responsible for documenting all relevant details of the meeting. This include invited attendees, those invited who did not attend, those who did attend who were not invited (as sometimes happens), significant items discussed, decisions reached, and action items identified. The level of detail for the minutes will vary according to meeting type.
- Critique – Depending on the meeting type (staff meetings come to mind), you may want to critique the quality and effectiveness of the meeting. This information can be used as part of process improvement program to continually upgrade your meetings.
- Follow-up – For each action item captured in the minutes of the meeting, follow-up with the person assigned the action to ensure it is completed on time and in a satisfactory manner. If the target date is missed, document a revised target date and continue following up on all items until all have been completed.
Employing as many of these suggestions as possible is bound to make your meetings more efficient for you as the meeting organizer, and more effective for those attending.