Editing UNITA Agile Management Guide (section)

=== Important Steps ===

==== 1. Define the Purpose and Objectives ====

'''Purpose''': Clearly define the purpose of the meeting. It is important, when scheduling a meeting to know what it is for.  
'''Objectives''': Set specific goals for what you want to achieve during the meeting.

==== 2. Schedule and Frequency ====

'''Schedule''': Choose a time that works for all participants, considering the different time zones. You can use Datacloud to create Polls for the participants to vote on the best time and date, or you can use a meeting to decide the next one.  
'''Frequency''': Decide on the frequency of the meeting.

==== 3. Prepare the Agenda ====

'''Agenda''': Create an agenda outlining the topics to be discussed and the time allocated to each and share it with the participants beforehand.  
If there are documents that will be needed in the meeting — presentation, word documents, excel documents, etc. — be sure you share them, or the link to where they can be found, with the participants. It's important for the participants to have access to them before the meeting, so that they can read/analyse them previously, if necessary.  
'''Time-boxing''': Ensure each topic is time-boxed to keep the meeting focused and efficient.

==== 4. Assign Roles ====

'''Coordinator''': Designate someone to lead the meeting and keep it on track.  
'''Participants''': Clearly define who needs to be in the meeting and their roles. You can use the “Agenda” to mention the persons that should attend the meeting.  
'''Owners''': Clearly define who is responsible for an item/action/risk/decision.

==== 5. Run the Meeting ====

* '''Start on Time''': Begin the meeting promptly to respect everyone’s time.
* '''Stick to the Agenda''': Follow the agenda to keep the meeting focused and on schedule.
* '''Encourage Participation''': Ensure all team members have the opportunity to contribute.
* '''Facilitate Discussion''': The coordinator should guide the discussion to keep it productive and relevant.
* '''Capture Notes''': Document key points, decisions, and action items during the meeting. This will help you after to write the minutes of the meeting.

==== 6. Measuring Attendance ====

'''Track Attendance''': Use a method to record who attended the meeting. This can be done manually or through digital tools.  
In BBB rooms you can download the list of attendees from the gear button on top of the users column on the left side of the screen.  
In the “Minutes” Template you will have a table to confirm the presence of the participants.

<blockquote>
'''Note''': In order for the information to be passed on to all the Universities of a project equally and for decisions and actions to be taken and decided, it is very important that at least one person, from each institution be present in a meeting.
</blockquote>

==== 7. Minutes ====

'''Distribute Meeting Minutes''': Share the meeting minutes with the notes, action items, risk that maybe were (or not) detected, and decisions, with all participants.  
Make sure you do not share it too late with the participants, otherwise, the risk of information getting lost or late actions can increase.

'''Action Items''': Ensure that assigned tasks are clearly documented and tracked.  
Also, when deciding the “Target resolution date” please make sure that it is feasible.

==== 8. Continuous Improvement ====

You can collect feedback from participants on the meeting’s effectiveness and areas for improvement.  
This way you can make adjustments based on it to enhance future meetings.