| name | Meeting Efficiency |
| description | Design agendas, enforce time boxes, capture decisions, and recommend async alternatives to reduce meeting overhead. |
Purpose
Meetings are expensive. A 1-hour meeting with 8 people costs 8 hours of collective time. Effective meetings respect that cost and deliver value exceeding it.
Meeting Cost = (Attendees x Duration) + (Context-Switch Cost x Attendees)
Example: 6-person, 1-hour meeting with 30-min context switch each = 6 + 3 = 9 hours of productivity.
Meeting or Not?
| Need | Meeting Required? | Alternative |
|---|
| Decide something | Maybe | Async decision doc if simple |
| Share information | Rarely | Email, video, document |
| Brainstorm | Often | Async + sync hybrid |
| Build relationships | Yes | No substitute for presence |
| Complex alignment | Yes | Real-time needed |
| Status updates | No | Dashboards, async standup |
Meeting Types
| Type | Purpose | Duration | Required Elements |
|---|
| Decision | Make a call | 30-60 min | Options, criteria, decider |
| Creative | Generate ideas | 60-90 min | Prompt, diverge/converge |
| Tactical | Coordinate action | 15-30 min | Blockers, handoffs |
| Strategic | Set direction | 60-120 min | Context, options, trade-offs |
| 1:1 | Develop people | 30-60 min | Their agenda first |
Every recurring meeting should justify its existence quarterly.
Agenda Template
## Meeting: [Purpose Statement]
**Date**: [Date/Time]
**Duration**: [X min]
**Attendees**: [Required], [Optional]
### Pre-Work (Complete Before)
- [ ] Review [document]
- [ ] Prepare [input]
### Agenda
1. [Topic 1] - [Owner] - [Time] min
- Desired outcome: [Specific result]
2. [Topic 2] - [Owner] - [Time] min
- Desired outcome: [Specific result]
### Parking Lot
[Topics for future discussion]
### Actions (Captured During)
| Action | Owner | Due |
| ------ | ----- | --- |
| | | |
Topic Time Allocation
| Topic Type | Suggested Time |
|---|
| Information share | 5 min max |
| Discussion | 10-15 min |
| Decision | 15-20 min |
| Complex problem | 30+ min (single-topic meeting) |
Decision Capture Format
Every meeting that makes a decision should record:
| Field | Content |
|---|
| Decision | What was decided |
| Rationale | Why this option won |
| Alternatives considered | What was rejected and why |
| Owner | Who drives execution |
| Review date | When to revisit if needed |
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Fix |
|---|
| No agenda | Cancel or reschedule with one |
| Meeting to share info | Send an email instead |
| 60 min default | Start at 25 or 50 min |
| Everyone invited | Only decision-makers + informed via notes |
| No decisions captured | End with explicit "what did we decide?" |
| Recurring with no topics | Cancel this week |
Guidelines
- Lead with the purpose: "We're here to decide X" not "Let's discuss X"
- Time-box every topic; use a visible timer
- Capture action items with owner and due date during the meeting, not after
- End 5 minutes early: summarize decisions, confirm actions, thank participants
- Send notes within 24 hours
- Default to async; only meet when real-time interaction adds value
