Avoid unnecessary meetings.
Meetings should serve their purpose and having everybody together at the same time has its costs. It's important that we understand the reason why a meeting was called and to be respectful to everyone's time.
Whether you are scheduling a meeting or being invited to one, make sure the meeting has:
- a clear title and description of what it is (if you don't fully understand it, ask)
- a clear definition of success (what is expected to happen at the end that will tell this meeting succeeded?)
- been scheduled for a time that is within everyone's working hours (remember we have team members living from the US west cost to Europe)
These are meetings that every member of the company is invited to attend. Examples of these are the Monthly Company Meeting and the Company-wide Town Hall.
Because every squad run its own agile process, ceremonies may vary from team to team. Make sure you know what are the meetings that your team has scheduled and what's their frequency so that you can plan beforehand.
Always keep an eye on your calendar. If you accept an invitation, it's expected for you to attend that meeting. If you can't make, also remember to decline it and leave it a note. It's important to provide this type of feedback to meeting organizers so that they can decide if the meeting should be reschedule or not depending on the audience that is attending it.
