How to Run a Planning Meeting (Checklist Included)

How to Run a Planning Meeting (Checklist Included)


A planning meeting is an important part of project management, as it helps to create a plan and get buy-in from the team. There are guidelines that must be followed, such as an agenda, only those people who need to be there, and clarity about who is going to be doing what in the project. The meeting should also include a rough outline of the plan, a general understanding of what the plan's scope is, and feedback to make sure parameters are clear. This includes how individuals will coordinate with others on the team. A planning meeting is only as good as its parts, so it is important to have all your ducks in a row before calling the meeting.

This includes having a vision, goals and objectives, creating a business case, aligning the project to the organization's overall business objectives and identifying the project's benefits. Critical success factors must be defined and clear to all, such as the deliverable for the project, an agreed upon budget and schedule, and who the leaders are, where to put resources and how to adjust the plan to ensure those critical success factors are always safeguarded.