meeting-optimizer

name	meeting-optimizer
description	Audit and optimize meeting calendars — eliminate waste, create templates, and enforce meeting hygiene
allowed-tools	["Read","Write","Grep"]
effort	low

When to activate

• Auditing team meeting load and identifying waste
• Designing meeting templates for recurring meetings
• Establishing meeting-free days or focus time blocks
• Creating meeting agendas and action item trackers
• Reducing meeting overhead for engineering teams

When NOT to use

• For facilitation of specific meetings
• For event planning or workshops
• For team-building activity design

Instructions

1. Audit meeting calendar. Export all recurring meetings for the team. Calculate total hours/week per person.
2. Classify each meeting. Category: decision, status update, brainstorm, 1:1, all-hands. Tag: essential, could-be-email, redundant.
3. Calculate cost. (Avg hourly rate × attendees × meeting duration) = cost per meeting. Sum weekly cost.
4. Eliminate waste. Cancel meetings with: no clear purpose, <50% attendance, or could-be-email status.
5. Optimize remaining. Shorten by 25% (60→45min), reduce attendees to essential only, require agendas.
6. Create templates. Standard agenda format: objective, pre-read, discussion items, decisions, action items.
7. Set meeting norms. No-meeting Wednesdays, meetings end 5 min early, decisions documented in shared doc.

Example

Meeting Audit — Engineering Team (8 people)

Before: 23 recurring meetings/week, 47 person-hours/week, est. cost $9,400/week
After:  14 recurring meetings/week, 28 person-hours/week, est. cost $5,600/week
Savings: 40% reduction, $3,800/week ($197,600/year)

Eliminated:
- "Quick sync" (no agenda, 4 attendees, could be Slack)
- Duplicate status update (same info as standup)
- Friday demo (low attendance, moved to async video)