Planning an operations meeting? Learn how to host an effective operations meeting by following these simple, straightforward steps.
Many impeccable ideas are born in meetings, and the best ones often come from those who have been involved in a project for some time. Therefore, as a host of an operations meeting, it’s critical to prepare adequately by making and distributing an operations meeting agenda well in advance and putting the meeting on the calendar, among other things.
You should also know what tools to use to streamline your operations meeting. For instance, software feature-packed with smart tools like analytics and automated meeting briefs help you get more out of your operations meetings.
Curious to discover more? Read on to learn what an operations meeting entails, what it takes to host an effective one, and how a purpose-built solution like OnBoard can simplify hosting an operations meeting.
What is an Operations Meeting?
An operations meeting gathers top-level professionals, like executives, managers, and team leaders, to discuss operations at a high-level. It’s usually held at least once per week, though there may be more frequent meetings if necessary.
An operations meeting aims to check in on ongoing projects, plan future activities, and problem-solve for any setbacks. Regular meetings help you stay up-to-date on all aspects of your business, make better decisions, and avoid costly mistakes.
For an operations meeting to be truly effective, everyone must come to the table prepared. This requires creating an operations meeting agenda well before the actual meeting to ensure everyone is ready to discuss agenda items.
Other best practices to ensure the meeting goes to plan include putting it on the calendar, keeping the conversation on track, and asking for feedback after the meeting. Level up your operations meetings with this step-by-step guide.
Efficiently track and document board decisions with our Meeting Minutes Template
How to Host an Operations Meeting
Hosting a successful operations meeting requires preparation and follow-through. Follow these tips for success.
1. Draft an Operations Meeting Agenda
Before you even think about holding an operations meeting, you need to create an agenda. It serves as a guide for the discussion, ensuring everyone has a chance to contribute and that no topic is left untouched.
To create an effective operations meeting agenda:
- Start by brainstorming the key points you want to cover during the meeting. These could be anything from new product launches to upcoming sales targets.
- Once you’ve identified these items, write them down in order of importance.
- Next, list the people who you’d like to attend the meeting. Ensure they’re involved in the project or activity being discussed.
- Finally, add a date and time to the meeting. Try to schedule the meeting for a day when everyone can attend.
- Now that you have a complete operations meeting agenda, share it with your colleagues well in advance. They’ll appreciate knowing exactly what you want to discuss.
A board management solution like OnBoard helps improve the development and distribution of the meeting agenda. Instead of relying on pen and paper, you can leverage OnBoard’s powerful features to build your meeting agenda in minutes and send it out to attendees via the centralized dashboard. And because the content is stored within the system, you won’t lose it if someone forgets their laptop or phone.
2. Put the Meeting on the Calendar
Creating a calendar invite for a meeting might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s common to forget about the scheduled meetup even after creating a board meeting agenda. Adding it to the calendar ensures everyone knows when and where the meeting will occur. And a meeting notification comes in handy in reminding attendees to pause what they’re doing and join the meeting, especially for virtual meetings. Think of the calendar as a gentle nudge to get things done.
3. Keep the Conversation on Track
One of the biggest mistakes you can make at an operations meeting is to let the conversation drift off-course. You can have the best board meeting minutes template in the world, but if you don’t keep the conversation focused, you’ll struggle to accomplish much.
To keep the conversation on track, use your agenda as a checklist to remind you of discussion topics. Or consider technology solutions, like OnBoard’s agenda time management tool, which works to keep meetings focused and on-schedule, and automatically issues a reminder 15 minutes before your meeting is scheduled to end.
4. Ask for Feedback After the Meeting
After the meeting has ended, you should ask for feedback from attendees. This could be as simple as asking whether they had any questions or concerns during the meeting. But it could also include more detailed questions such as:
- What did you think of the meeting?
- Did anything come up that we didn’t cover?
- Do you have any suggestions for how we can improve next time?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Still have questions after going through this in-depth guide on how to prepare for a board meeting with your operations team? We have answers.
What Do You Say During an Operations Meeting?
The answer depends on the purpose of the meeting. While operations meetings are primarily used for check-ins, you may have discussion points regarding ongoing campaigns or issues. If so, share your thoughts and ideas. In general, conversations should stick to the agenda topics.
What Are the Aspects Covered During an Operations Meeting?
An effective operations meeting should cover various aspects, including but not limited to the following:
- Weekly priorities and key activities
- Solutions to any pending issues
- A review of your organization’s performance
- Deliberation on critical issues impacting your long-term success
What is the Purpose of an Operations Meeting?
Before planning your first operations meeting, you should determine its purpose. Essentially, this is usually a perfect time to review and examine the organization’s current situation regarding workflow, objectives, wins, and setbacks.
You might even decide to hold a special meeting to address certain topics. For example, if you notice your fundraising efforts haven’t met expectations, you may decide to hold a special session to brainstorm new strategies.
Ensure effective, efficient meetings with our comprehensive Board Meeting Agenda Template.
OnBoard Powers Effective Operations Meetings
As you can tell, there are many factors to consider when preparing to host an effective operations meeting, from drafting the meeting template to deciding what to say during the meeting.
A simple, purpose-built board management solution like OnBoard simplifies the process and boosts effectiveness. With templates for agenda creation and the ability to store and distribute your agenda within the platform, you can ensure meeting participants receive what they need to prepare for meetings.
Tools like minutes builder and task management allow you to effortlessly take notes, create tasks, track attendance, and mark motions as the meeting progresses. Kickstart your next operations meeting by downloading OnBoard’s free board meeting agenda template.
About The Author
- Tim Vire
- Tim Vire is a senior manager of customer success at OnBoard. "My role places me in working relationship with every other team in the company," Tim says. "I enjoy that broad scope of the business." A Faith Bible College graduate, Tim enjoys spending time with his wife and grandson, collecting vinyl records, and listening to music. He lives in Pendleton, Indiana.
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