The Java Rocker

This topic is not specific for Application Development, but it sure does apply. Does this sound familiar? “Let’s have a meeting to discuss how to handle meetings”. Some of you already have had this one.  You may not have the power to stop meetings, but you can try these tips to minimize their affect on your development timeline.  Some of these tips dovetail nicely with tips discussed here and here.

Weekly status – Management wants regular updates on your status. Don’t forget that your boss has a boss who needs updating too. Instead of the weekly status meeting, a team update could suffice. It has all of the information you boss needs, and it is in soft copy.

Make an agenda – If anyone wants a meeting, make sure you set an agenda. This sets the scope of the items to discuss. If other issues arise, you can tackle them at a later date.

Set time for yourself – If you are truly crunched for time, don’t forget to set aside a block of busy time on your calendar. I find that the hours between 9:00AM and 11:00 AM are my most productive time. Use this technique sparingly for time increments over 30 minutes.

Summarize – I have talked about this before, but it really works! Send a summary of the items discussed, and the action items created for the participants. I have found that people who are Like a lot of meetings don’t have as many if they think they will get “homework”.

Meet face to face – If I have a question or issue, I would rather talk to the person directly. I get more detailed information, and I can communicate the latest updates informally.

Remember, meetings are for the transfer of information. Upper management wants to know how middle management and application development are supporting the business. I have noticed that application development teams are more interested in solving the technical issue than communicating their resolution. If you can be more proactive in distributing your information, you may be cured of meetingitis.