Meetings (as a Tool/Technique)
Meetings are a tool and technique used across nearly all project management processes to discuss, plan, make decisions, resolve issues, and share information among project stakeholders.
Explanation
In the PMBOK Guide, meetings are recognized as a formal tool and technique, not merely a routine activity. They appear across all process groups and most knowledge areas. Common types of meetings include kick-off meetings, status meetings, steering committee meetings, retrospectives, lessons learned sessions, daily standups, planning workshops, and change control board meetings.
Effective meetings require clear objectives, a prepared agenda, appropriate participants, a designated facilitator, documented minutes, and action items with assigned owners and due dates. Poorly managed meetings waste time and resources, while well-run meetings accelerate decision-making and alignment. The project manager is often responsible for ensuring that meetings are productive and that outcomes are captured.
Meetings serve different purposes depending on the process. In Develop Project Management Plan, meetings bring the team together to discuss and agree on the plan components. In Perform Integrated Change Control, meetings are used by the CCB to evaluate change requests. In Close Project or Phase, meetings capture final lessons learned and confirm closure activities. The agile framework uses meetings extensively — sprint planning, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and retrospectives are all structured meeting types.
Key Points
- •A formal tool and technique used across nearly all PMBOK processes
- •Types include kick-off, status, steering committee, retrospectives, CCB, and standups
- •Require agendas, clear objectives, appropriate attendees, and documented outcomes
- •In agile, meetings include sprint planning, daily scrum, review, and retrospective
Exam Tip
The exam treats meetings as a legitimate tool and technique, not just an administrative activity. Know the purpose of different meeting types, especially kick-off, retrospective, and CCB meetings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
Develop Project Management Plan
Develop Project Management Plan is the process of defining, preparing, and coordinating all plan components and consolidating them into an integrated project management plan.
Perform Integrated Change Control
Perform Integrated Change Control is the process of reviewing all change requests, approving or rejecting changes, managing changes to deliverables, project documents, and the project management plan, and communicating the decisions.
Close Project or Phase
Close Project or Phase is the process of finalizing all activities for the project, phase, or contract, including archiving project information, releasing resources, and completing final deliverable acceptance.
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