CAPM Practice: Demonstrate an understanding of common problem-solving tools and techniques

Failing to address planned agenda items is the most significant indicator of meeting ineffectiveness because it means the meeting did not accomplish its intended purpose. The agenda represents the meeting's objectives, and incomplete coverage indicates goals were not met.

**Why not A:** While exceeding the scheduled time is a symptom of poor meeting management, it is less significant than failing to cover the planned agenda. A meeting that runs over but achieves its objectives is more effective than one that ends on time but misses key topics.

**Why not B:** Unequal participation is a concern for meeting facilitation, but it does not necessarily mean the meeting failed to achieve its objectives. The most critical measure of effectiveness is whether the planned agenda items — the meeting's purpose — were addressed.

**Why not C:** Participants checking their phones indicates disengagement, but this is a behavioral issue rather than a measure of meeting effectiveness. The fundamental failure is that several planned agenda items were not covered, meaning the meeting did not accomplish what it was designed to do.