Begin with the end in mind:

Think for a moment about the meetings and conversations you’ve got scheduled for this week. What is it that you hope to achieve? Stating your goals on paper will assist you in keeping them on track. Refer back to this sheet during the meeting when you begin to get off track.  Don’t forget to begin the meeting by letting everyone else know what the goals are as well. Set a time limit, ask for cooperation, and begin streamlining!

Write down the purpose of your meetings, the participants, and two major points that you want to accomplish. During the meeting put a polite end to topics that do not align with your goals.

Meeting One Purpose               Meeting One Participants                      Meeting One Goals

__________________            __________________                        __________________

                                                                                                            __________________

Meeting Two Purpose              Meeting Two Participants                     Meeting Two Goals

__________________            __________________                        __________________

                                                                                                            __________________

Document You Successes

Now that you’ve got a streamlined process for discussing, clarifying, and achieving goals you will need to document your project successes in order to avoid reinventing the wheel the next time you encounter a similar task.  Think back to your last successful project and list out the 5 key components that made you successful. Get help from your team and reach consensus if appropriate.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.