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  3. how do you keep a meeting on track? more project mgmt than programming butttt.....

how do you keep a meeting on track? more project mgmt than programming butttt.....

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  • R Offline
    R Offline
    rnbergren
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

    To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

    H J Greg UtasG P D 15 Replies Last reply
    0
    • R rnbergren

      Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

      To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

      H Offline
      H Offline
      honey the codewitch
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      To be honest I'm not very good at meetings, and I tend to ask a lot questions sometimes, which derails the agenda. I don't mean to, I'm just not good at meetings. I'm great left to my own devices, with a little bit of one on one. However, I had to get good at certain kinds of meetings because I was often a team lead. If *I* control the direction of the meeting within the scope of updating other people on the progress of a project I do okay. Beyond that, it's hit or miss. It's a skill I've never really mastered. Sorry, I'm one of the ones that's guilty of making them run over. For my part, I do everything I can to avoid them in the first place. :laugh: Edit: It sounds like your boss is kind of like me, except harder to get rid of. :-D

      Real programmers use butterflies

      R L 2 Replies Last reply
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      • R rnbergren

        Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

        To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

        J Offline
        J Offline
        Jorgen Andersson
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        You have a premeeting with the important person where you come to an agreement on how to solve the problem. If you are already in agreement it's much quicker to guide the meeting to the desired result.

        Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

        1 Reply Last reply
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        • R rnbergren

          Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

          To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

          Greg UtasG Offline
          Greg UtasG Offline
          Greg Utas
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          Right on the agenda, state how much time is allocated to each topic. Leave some slack time at the end of the meeting but have a reason for leaving after that. Unless someone doesn't want to reach the big ticket item, this should help keep things on track.

          Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles
          The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

          <p><a href="https://github.com/GregUtas/robust-services-core/blob/master/README.md">Robust Services Core</a>
          <em>The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.</em></p>

          1 Reply Last reply
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          • R rnbergren

            Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

            To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

            P Offline
            P Offline
            PIEBALDconsult
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Have the meeting a half hour earlier than you tell the boss.

            R 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • R rnbergren

              Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

              To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

              D Offline
              D Offline
              den2k88
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              "We'll discuss this offline"

              GCS d--(d-) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++*      Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X

              R S Greg UtasG 3 Replies Last reply
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              • D den2k88

                "We'll discuss this offline"

                GCS d--(d-) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++*      Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X

                R Offline
                R Offline
                rnbergren
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                I HATE this statement! no we won't discuss elephant turds behind anyones back. Either we get it hashed out so everyone is on the same page or we aren't grown adults and we shouldn't be working.

                To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                J D 2 Replies Last reply
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                • P PIEBALDconsult

                  Have the meeting a half hour earlier than you tell the boss.

                  R Offline
                  R Offline
                  rnbergren
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  kind of funny but this actually has worked in the past

                  To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                  E 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • H honey the codewitch

                    To be honest I'm not very good at meetings, and I tend to ask a lot questions sometimes, which derails the agenda. I don't mean to, I'm just not good at meetings. I'm great left to my own devices, with a little bit of one on one. However, I had to get good at certain kinds of meetings because I was often a team lead. If *I* control the direction of the meeting within the scope of updating other people on the progress of a project I do okay. Beyond that, it's hit or miss. It's a skill I've never really mastered. Sorry, I'm one of the ones that's guilty of making them run over. For my part, I do everything I can to avoid them in the first place. :laugh: Edit: It sounds like your boss is kind of like me, except harder to get rid of. :-D

                    Real programmers use butterflies

                    R Offline
                    R Offline
                    rnbergren
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    but I imagine once you hear something logical you would go oh ok I get it.

                    To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                    H 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • D den2k88

                      "We'll discuss this offline"

                      GCS d--(d-) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++*      Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X

                      S Offline
                      S Offline
                      Slacker007
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      It is SOP for our shop to discuss all topics offline that would turn a 30 minute meeting into a 7 day seminar event. it works and it works well. The best part is, we all get to stay as adults.

                      D 1 Reply Last reply
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                      • R rnbergren

                        Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

                        To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                        M Offline
                        M Offline
                        Maximilien
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        1. time is money, the longer you are in a meeting the more it costs the company. you need to make that clear. 2. have a clear agenda and list of topics. 3. have a clear meeting duration. (15mints, 30mins, 1 hours, whatever make it clear) (goes with point 2) 4. don't invite more people to the meeting than necessary. 5. if meeting takes longer than expected, allow unnecessary people to leave. It's OK if your boss wants to participate and ask questions and take part of the discussion. If your boss want to be involve, he needs to understand the points above.

                        CI/CD = Continuous Impediment/Continuous Despair

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • H honey the codewitch

                          To be honest I'm not very good at meetings, and I tend to ask a lot questions sometimes, which derails the agenda. I don't mean to, I'm just not good at meetings. I'm great left to my own devices, with a little bit of one on one. However, I had to get good at certain kinds of meetings because I was often a team lead. If *I* control the direction of the meeting within the scope of updating other people on the progress of a project I do okay. Beyond that, it's hit or miss. It's a skill I've never really mastered. Sorry, I'm one of the ones that's guilty of making them run over. For my part, I do everything I can to avoid them in the first place. :laugh: Edit: It sounds like your boss is kind of like me, except harder to get rid of. :-D

                          Real programmers use butterflies

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          honey the codewitch wrote:

                          I tend to ask a lot questions sometimes, which derails the agenda.

                          I tried that once and the team leader totally lost it.

                          1 Reply Last reply
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                          • D den2k88

                            "We'll discuss this offline"

                            GCS d--(d-) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++*      Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X

                            Greg UtasG Offline
                            Greg UtasG Offline
                            Greg Utas
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            We'll discuss this offline = You have no say in this, so I want you to shut up

                            Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles
                            The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

                            <p><a href="https://github.com/GregUtas/robust-services-core/blob/master/README.md">Robust Services Core</a>
                            <em>The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.</em></p>

                            D 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • R rnbergren

                              but I imagine once you hear something logical you would go oh ok I get it.

                              To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                              H Offline
                              H Offline
                              honey the codewitch
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              hopefully :laugh:

                              Real programmers use butterflies

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • R rnbergren

                                Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

                                To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                                L Offline
                                L Offline
                                Lost User
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                The fact that it's a "meeting" (between only 2 people) means it's some kind of event ... compared to "got a minute?" The (unwritten) rule is: no one talks to anyone above their pay grade (without another pay grade around).

                                It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it. ― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food

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                                • R rnbergren

                                  I HATE this statement! no we won't discuss elephant turds behind anyones back. Either we get it hashed out so everyone is on the same page or we aren't grown adults and we shouldn't be working.

                                  To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                                  J Offline
                                  J Offline
                                  jschell
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  So your take is that 20 people should stay on the call while the two people familiar with databases spend 20 minutes discussing the exact type of index that a problematic database table should have?

                                  J 1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • R rnbergren

                                    Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

                                    To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                                    J Offline
                                    J Offline
                                    jschell
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    rnbergren wrote:

                                    Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover?

                                    Two people talking would not normally be a "meeting". You can't really get sidetracked or have conversations that are off topic because everyone in the meeting is in fact participating. Presumably because everyone (the two people) consider all of the discussions relevant. Three people would be a meeting. And you have concerns about what contributions your boss would actually make. Thus you do not have a meeting problem. You have a management problem. Might be specific to the manager in that they are not in fact contributing anything. Or in general because all meetings in the company tend to go this way. In general businesses cannot solve process problems unless senior management actually supports and in fact demands that processes are defined and followed. If that is not the case where you are then you just deal with it. Let them babble on about their vacation plans and how their teams did. For yourself just accept it as team building. At larger companies you are perhaps more likely to be able to discuss and solve this because more managers means more of them are likely to see it as a problem. With senior level support one can have arbitrators in meetings whose role is to specifically keep the meeting on point. But there could also be causes outside of what you described here. For example the other person in your meeting has told your boss that you are a bully. Or that your demands are non-specific and outside the normal business requirements. So your boss is in fact attempting to mediate.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • J jschell

                                      So your take is that 20 people should stay on the call while the two people familiar with databases spend 20 minutes discussing the exact type of index that a problematic database table should have?

                                      J Offline
                                      J Offline
                                      Jon McKee
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      Bob: "...I still think we should be looking at our composite indexes. The ordering is all off which is really affecting performance." Tom: "Yea, but we've also got 'optimizations' I think are doing more harm than good already. That other table has a pseudo-random reverse index for heaven's sake. What's the point of that?" Bob: "True, now that I think about it that table's most common query is non-sargable too which is a major issue." Frank: "I don't really do databases, but I heard about something called a column-store..." Bob, Tom: "Quiet Frank."

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                                      • R rnbergren

                                        kind of funny but this actually has worked in the past

                                        To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                                        E Offline
                                        E Offline
                                        englebart
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        On a similar note… schedule the meeting you want with a guaranteed conflict with your boss. Invite the boss as optional.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • R rnbergren

                                          Having a meeting with another IT person in another team that supports my team. If it was just the other individual and I. Things would be over in 30 minutes tops. Butttttt.... Boss wants to be part of the meeting. Wants to be "in" the discussion. Thoughts on how I can keep the meeting moving along so we cover the items we need to cover? I already moved the big ticket item to last instead of first. Put that last on the agenda.

                                          To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer

                                          M Offline
                                          M Offline
                                          Mycroft Holmes
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          I'm with the codewitch on this one - avoid them like the plague. I never had any compunction asking the meeting to "move on", same effect as "discuss this offline". I also found asking if I was needed for this discussion and then leaving had a curtailing effect on senior management who liked to pontificate about irrelevant crap. Eventually I did not get invited to non essential meetings which meant I missed out on a number of social events - thank the Great Ghu.

                                          Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP

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