Have the best weekly status meetings ever by avoiding these 4 common mistakes. Project management tips that work equally well whether you're managing marketing projects, IT, sales, events and more.

1. Based on the expert insights of Kevin Korterud,
Accenture, originally shared on PMI’s Voices on
Project Management blog.
presented by
Follow Us:

2. SIN #
1
Opening with long
motivational speeches
or challenge questions
Instead, start with the answers, stating either:
• the current schedule
example: “We are 4 days behind schedule
• the budget position
example: “We are $10,000 under budget”
• the key milestones of the project
example: “We are 35% complete with move”
Answers produce confidence and allow you to focus on
remedies for schedule, budget and progress variances.
Follow Us:

3. SIN #
2
Conducting an overly
detailed review of tasks
Instead, structure discussion around risks and issues.
• have a list of the current risks and issues
along with their assigned owners
• notify risk and issue owners in advance
to come prepared to share the status of
their items
• risk owners should present a clear path
to resolution
• lack of a clear path to resolution is a clear signal to
escalate the risk or issue to leadership
Follow Us:

4. SIN #
3
Review of progress of
specific tasks in front of
leadership
The status meeting with higher-ups is not the place to
review nitty-gritty.
Instead, clarify and confirm upcoming milestones.
• highlight the upcoming two to three weeks
of milestones
• clarify the critical path to milestone completion
• share your expectations on the progress
toward these milestones by the next status meeting
• ask team members to identify new risks or issues
that may impair the team's progress
Follow Us:

5. SIN #
4
Scheduling status
meetings willy-nilly
Opinions vary on the best day to schedule the meeting,
but whatever you do keep it consistent.
Tip!
The second workday is often the most beneficial because it:
• allows time during the first workday to
gather information
• gives the team three full days to act on previous
meeting guidance
Follow Us:

6. Recap
Avoid:
• speeches
• challenges to the team in front of management
• put-you-on-the-spot questions
• overly detailed task reviews
• unpredictable meeting schedule
Now go out and have a great status meeting!
Follow Us:

7. Have your best status meeting ever with the tool used
by millions of delighted project managers: Smartsheet.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, SHARE IT !
Follow Us: