At the beginning of 2014, the idea of a collaborative tool that would facilitate the communication within a company seemed like an interesting idea that needed to be developed. This application had to allow the exchange of information while focusing on the current tasks to accomplish. Two engineers, one in IT and the other in project management, gathered their experiences to define the framework of this new generation tool. 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2015_09_chronologie_392e718f83.jpg)

From of May 2014, interviews were planned to obtain the opinion of managers from different fields of activity. The collected feedbacks were carefully transmitted to the development manager, which allowed him to start creating the tool. This process, that consists of taking into account the opinions of prospects and customers and transmitting them to the developer, is now anchored in the way we approach new ideas at WEDO. Our philosophy is the following: ”listen and adapt”.

Interviews and developments continued, which allowed us to launch the first version of the software and get our first customers in April 2015 (10 months after the begin of the development). 

With its success, the product named WEDO changed into a company now called WEDO Sàrl. This young startup is developing a product closer to the expectations of its customers. The software is equipped with the best technologies available on the market while remaining very simple to use and to be implemented in companies.

Everything was planned in the course of 2015 to ensure the security of the application, from the development to the hosting of data. WEDO Sàrl is a company from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, offering a solution that is 100% Swiss.

Any person who is interested in WEDO can **[request a free demo](/demo)** and give his opinion on the application. This does not commit you financially and helps WEDO to be an effective and user-friendly tool for everyday use.

2016 will be the year of innovations: new meetings, new feedbacks, new prospects, new customers and new functionalities in the application. With a common goal: develop a tool that facilitates collaboration within a company and among employees. 

A chronology of the important steps between May 2014 and September 2015\. 

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WEDO becomes WEDO Sàrl

With the new version coming online today, WEDO allows you to synchronize your tasks with a deadline with Outlook, Gmail and iCal calendars, as well as all other calendars. 

Two synchronization modes are possible:

* Synchronization of all your tasks
* Synchronization of your tasks by subject

## Synchronization of all your tasks

To synchronize all your tasks with your calendar, go to your _Profile > Settings > Calendar Sync tab._ 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2016_06_calendar_sync_dee44cf046.png)

If you work with Outlook, click on the “webcals” link. For other calendars, you can copy the link suggested under the Google Calendar title and add it according to the explanation provided by WEDO. 

## Synchronization of tasks by subject

To synchronize tasks by subject, go to the desired subject. Then select Calendar Sync. Follow the same procedure as explained above. 

## Conclusion

Thanks to the calendar synchronization, you will not miss any deadline. Feel free to request a trial period if you wish to be part of the adventure. WEDO offers a free trial period for a team for 30 days. 

WEDO allows you to synchronize your tasks with a deadline with Outlook, Gmail and iCal calendars, as well as all other calendars. 

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Calendar synchronization

Fribourg SME WEDO is doing well and has decided to consolidate its place in the Swiss economy by changing its legal form. The former Llc is proud of its new name, WEDO Ltd, even though the founders have no intention of opening up the company's shares to external investors for now.

After swapping the initial domain name wedo.swiss for [wedo.com](http://wedo.com/) a few months ago, the company is now pursuing a strategy of consolidating its assets for serene and ambitious growth.

**A team with international ambitions**

Founded in 2015 by Fribourg-based David Dutch and Antoine Sudan, the company now has 14 employees based in Fribourg and Zurich, including four recruits in 2022 alone. Working in high value-added jobs such as Full Stack Developer (3 of whom trained at the Fribourg School of Engineering), Digital Marketing Specialist, Business Developer, or Customer Success Manager, these employees contribute to the wealth of a secure, high-performance software product. Recruitment accelerated in 2022, intending to build a team of 20 employees by 2024. Widely adopted in French-speaking Switzerland, WEDO has been gaining ground in German-speaking Switzerland since the hiring of Business Developers in 2020. Our ambition is to continue our expansion in German-speaking Switzerland and internationally.

WEDO Ltd operates mainly in Switzerland, covering various industries, including healthcare, the public sector, finance, and construction. Today, WEDO is used by some 500 organizations in 18 different sectors.

![Employees_en.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Employees_en_5676cb8f03.png)

The transformation of WEDO from a limited liability company to a public limited company is part of this growth strategy. By increasing its share capital, WEDO aims to reassure and establish the credibility of its business model. It's a business model that quickly proved to be a winner and which has more or less retained its initial structure since the beginning of the adventure: a system of annual subscriptions paid per user, giving access to the platform's full range of functions.

![Chronology_en.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Chronology_en_6c2afd656f.png)

**Next steps**

In addition to its capital increase and the long-awaited acquisition of wedo.com, the development teams have recently focused on extending the platform's functionality. While the platform defied all competition regarding meeting management, it will soon launch a new, more powerful version for project management, ready to challenge its American competitors.

Fribourg SME WEDO is doing well and has decided to consolidate its place in the Swiss economy by changing its legal form.

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WEDO Llc becomes WEDO Ltd


Our recent LinkedIn survey revealed that almost 40% of respondents associate the ineffectiveness of a meeting with the lack of decisions made, while 34% point the finger at the participants' lack of preparation.

Indeed, meetings dictate our weeks and petrify our calendars. However, they remain a central element in collaboration and mark the echelons of project management.

In this article, we address these issues and suggest a few best practices that will have the advantage of optimizing your meetings.



## Problem n°1: Promoting decision-making at meetings

### 🎯 Systematically setting objectives

The meeting leader must be clear about the objectives of the meeting. Depending on the objectives and their deadlines, it is important to systematically [define in advance the decisions to be taken](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/6877940-voting-decision-preparing-the-decision-on-a-vote) and mention them in the agenda. 

### 🗣️  Assign decision-making authority 

It is advisable to define a meeting moderator or to [assign responsibility for each topic to a specific person](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/5747620-define-the-presenter-of-a-topic). In this way, this person ensures that the matter reaches a decision before moving on to the next item. 

### 🗳️  Putting to the vote 

Decision-making can be facilitated by [voting](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/6877940-voting-decision-preparing-the-decision-on-a-vote). When a decision is taken within a group, voting can  reach a collegial decision. Voting puts an end to endless discussion and allows the group to move on to the next issue.  

### ✅   Formalizing decision-making 

It's important to record decisions clearly in the minutes. The [record of any decision must be easily accessible](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/2614315-view-all-decisions-made-in-meetings) to avoid wasting time searching for information. 


##  Problem n°2: Encourage participants to prepare themselves

### 👀  Reading discussion material in advance

[Send information and documents](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/5959542-share-a-meeting) dealing with the various topics in advance so that participants can prepare themselves. Reading the issues in advance ensures that they are dealt with more quickly, thus reducing the length of the meeting.   

### 🗓️  Initiate debate before the meeting

By mentioning any [questions or decisions](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/5701398-types-of-blocks) to be made on the agenda, participants can prepare themselves for the debate.  

### 👤 Empowering participants

The meeting initiator does not have to run the entire session. On the contrary, by [appointing a member of staff as presenter](https://help.wedo.com/en/articles/5747620-define-the-presenter-of-a-topic) for a topic in which he or she is involved, he or she will by nature be better prepared and more responsible for managing the project. In addition, the change of presenter will have the advantage of giving the meeting a rhythm.

### ❎  Consistency in the participation of certain employees

A lack of preparation or investment on the part of an employee can sometimes mean that his or her presence is perhaps not relevant.

![Préparation d'un ordre du jour](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/ca_preparer_odj_d6adef1deb.png)


Collaborative upstream work can radically improve meeting productivity and participant involvement. 

WEDO is a cloud-based solution that enables all team and company members to manage their meeting agendas. Agenda items and content are automatically transferred from one meeting to the next, ensuring the traceability of projects, tasks and decisions. 

The platform is compatible with the management of all types of meetings, from board meetings to HR meetings, as well as regular or exceptional project management sessions.


::button-primary[Request a free demo]{link="/demo"}


Our recent LinkedIn survey revealed that almost 40% of respondents associate the inefficiency of a meeting with the lack of decisions made, while 34% point the finger at the lack of preparation on the part of participants.

This article addresses these issues and suggests a few best practices to optimize your meetings.

People havin a discussion during a meeting

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What are the main disruptive elements in our meetings?

## The organization of a Board of Directors

Companies in any field frequently meet with their board of directors to agree on major strategic decisions. This formal meeting must be well organized and conducted efficiently to facilitate the exchange and communication with the board members. It is, therefore, essential to use the necessary digital tools to improve the organization and follow-up of these meetings. These technological solutions must meet security requirements to allow secure communication and access.
Do you need help to ensure effective follow-up and organization of your board meetings? Then, we have the solution to help you!
WEDO is a meeting management tool that lends itself perfectly to preparing and monitoring boards of directors for many reasons. We suggest you discover 7 steps that show you how our collaborative platform supports the organization of Boards of Directors.

 🗓️ 👩‍💼👨‍💼🧑‍💼

## 1. Prepare your CA

### 📂 Organize the documents

If you are involved in preparing for your company's Board of Directors meetings, first organize all the documents that will be presented at the meeting, such as financial reports, sales reports, and marketing updates. Ensuring all documents are well-given, complete, and easy to understand is essential.

###  ✍🏻 Prepare reports

If you are responsible for presenting reports, prepare them well before the meeting. Ensure they are clear, and concise and contain all the relevant information for the meeting.

###  ❔ Identify key issues

Finally, before the meeting, identify the key issues or areas of concern that will be addressed during the session. Then, be prepared to offer ideas, suggestions, or recommendations if necessary.

Once you have prepared these initial points, focus on establishing the topics discussed at the meeting: your agenda.

##  2. Set the agenda

###  📣 Determine what topics to address

Topics discussed at board meetings may vary depending on the organization. They may include:

- financial reports;
- operational updates; and
- Strategic planning;
- Risk management;
- legal compliance;
- Ongoing projects;
- Voting;
- and other matters of importance to the organization.

###  📋 Create your base frame

The items discussed are often the same from one board to the next. Be sure to identify recurring themes to save valuable time preparing for future meetings.

###  🗣️ Choose theme presenters

The speakers may vary depending on the theme. Therefore, it is essential to define who should prepare the agenda items or simply who will be the presenters of the topic. This will reinforce the collaborative aspect of the preparation of the meeting. All members will be involved in the upcoming session.

###  📎 Joignez les fichiers aux bonnes thématiques

Au préalable, l’idée est de préparer les documents et rapports à partager avec votre CA. Prenez le temps en amont d’également les joindre aux différentes thématiques de votre ordre du jour afin que les participants puissent les lire et les annoter avant le jour J. Une réunion bien préparée améliorera son efficacité ! 

##  3. Manage access to the meeting

It is expected that access to a CA meeting needs to be finely managed to choose who can see what and especially when. If your tool allows it, try to control the access to the meeting and the role of your participants according to its stages. This will enable you to prepare your agenda according to these different rights and not worry about access beyond the preparation. Determine who are editors, readers, or those who do not have access.

##  4. Integrate the votes

#### 🗳️ Determine voters

Choose who is allowed to vote. Then determine how you will collect the results. Different options are possible:

- digital votes by each voter ;
- a show of hands during the session;
- and collecting votes, with the secretary transcribing the results at the end of the meeting.

####  ☑️ Allocate shares

Voting is integral to the Board of Directors' process since members are often asked to vote on strategic decisions affecting the company. Therefore, be sure to allocate shares according to the decision-making weight of each voter.

####  🟢 Require quorum

In the event of a vote, and if you have allocated shares, you must verify at the beginning of each board meeting that a quorum is present. A quorum is the minimum number of shares based on those present at the meeting.

####  👤 Allow anonymous voting

Determine for a meeting whether you will allow anonymous voting. This should be determined before the meeting, or at least before voting opens.

####  🚫 Hide voting results until close

Depending on the internal operation, it may be necessary to hide the votes until they are closed. Ensure this is the case for the votes processed during your board of directors.

####  🔨 Write pre-decisions

To save time processing the votes, you can write the pre-decisions resulting from them. This is possible if you can imagine the outcomes of the votes. You can prepare a pre-decision for each possible answer. 

##  5. Write the minutes

###  💻 Writing by the Secretary

For this very formal meeting, the writing of the minutes is usually entrusted to a secretary. Here is how this person will compose their minutes.

#### ✍🏻 Paragraphs

Add well-structured paragraphs to reflect the discussions in the plenary. The idea is to proceed systematically and be as transparent as possible while favoring a simple style and short sentences. Think about your future readers from the start!

#### 🗳️ Votes

During the drafting process, validate the votes prepared beforehand and decide on the final decision.

#### 🔨 Decisions

Highlight essential decisions made during the board meeting. The idea is that from the minutes, each member can see all the strategic decisions that the meeting has decided upon.

#### ✅ Tasks

Make a clear list of tasks that flow from the decisions approved by the board. You can also already assign tasks to the people in charge, determining their priority and due date. By doing this, you will have your members up and running by the end of the meeting. Then, everyone knows what needs to be done and by when.

###  👀 Private note-taking by members

####  ✏️ Add private notes to the minutes

Encourage your members to prepare in advance by taking private notes. The idea is also to have them write their notes and comments during the meeting to ensure they understand what is expected.

####  📝 Annotate attached files

The notes can also be added directly to the files and documents attached to the agenda and meeting minutes. The goal is for members to find their written interventions exactly where they belong.

##  6. Follow up on tasks

Track the progress of tasks from one meeting to the next to ensure that deadlines are met. Then, if your tool allows it, simply import your tasks into the next meeting's agenda to see if they were completed on time.

##  7. Give access to the minutes

At the end of the meeting and after the proofreading stage, control access to the minutes so that each member can review the minutes of the discussions. This will allow members to record everything that was discussed during the meeting. At the end, share the minutes with all members to encourage them to review them as soon as possible after the board meeting.

##  ✅ WEDO's advantages for your CA management

We talked earlier about the importance of choosing an excellent tool to manage and track the progress of your board meetings. WEDO develops the ideal collaborative platform for efficient meeting management. So why will our solution be your best ally for board meetings? Here is a summary:

**📋 You collaboratively prepare your agenda.**
![bod-prepare-agenda.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/bod_prepare_agenda_7476ddda20.png)

**🔐 You manage access to the meeting.**
![bod-access-meeting.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/bod_access_meeting_ac15c4df9d.png)

**🗳️ You integrate the votes into your board.**
![bod-votes.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/bod_votes_c631be7608.png)

**⌨️ You write your report in real-time directly on the platform and allow the participants to take their private notes.**
![ca-writing-minutes.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/ca_writing_minutes_7aa178ad22.png)

**✅ You track tasks from one meeting to the next by importing ongoing and completed tasks.**
![bod-tasks-tracking.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/bod_tasks_tracking_21b36c4285.png)

**👀 You provide access to the minutes directly after the meeting and email them to members from the platform.**
![ca-access-meeting-minutes.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/ca_access_meeting_minutes_b8cb3e8b91.png)

>**Do you want to test WEDO for your next board meeting? Then, our experts will introduce you to the tool and help you prepare your first agenda in 30 minutes.**

::button-primary[Contact our experts]{link="/demo"}

## Some examples of our clients who use WEDO to manage their board of directors
![wedo-customer-board-of-directors.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/wedo_customer_board_of_directors_d91a634e29.png)



Efficiently organize & conduct board meetings w/ WEDO - a secure, digital meeting management tool. Enhance communication & follow-up with our 7-step collaborative platform.

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Organize your Board of Directors with WEDO

## What are the organizational challenges in the education sector?

For educational organizations, communication and collaboration are central and essential issues. The management of these structures must be able to actively exchange with all departments to ensure the smooth running of their institution. Management's responsibility is also to foster optimal collaboration between administrative and pedagogical teams.

In terms of collaboration, here are some challenges in the education field:

 🗓️ Managing, monitoring and ensuring the efficiency of various meetings: board of directors, deans' meetings, pedagogical meetings, bilateral meetings, team meetings, etc.

✅ Complete and review tasks of the school management and professionals, as well as of the individual departments, competence centers and partner institutions

 📋 Manage recurring procedures

---

## What hinders organizations from working together efficiently?

Employees often have to reach their objectives with limited and inefficient resources. Email remains the most common used communication channel, and it is to be criticized that few truly collaborative tools are available in everyday education.  
Another finding is that meetings are often poorly prepared, often too frequent, and sometimes interminable… in short, unproductive. However, meetings are crucial for the exchange of information. In the sector, these meetings bring together multiple actors: members of the management, administrative staff, deans, professors or teachers, as well as external stakeholders. The challenge for the management is to efficiently manage these multiple meetings while involving each participant before, during and after the meetings.  
So how do you overcome these organizational and collaborative difficulties while encouraging the digitalization of processes?

## Our solutions to improve collaboration within schools and faculties

WEDO is a collaboration tool that is perfectly suited for the internal organization of schools and faculties. Our solution is already helping many institutions to overcome their organizational challenges and improve internal communication.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_08_wedo_education_1_7b7a9d1792.svg)

Find out how the **WEDO platform** supports schools and faculty in their daily collaboration.

### 1\. Create a collaborative structure tailored to the education sector

Each department or service of the institution can manage its various projects organized in "workspaces". These spaces allow the institution's employees to share meetings, tasks and files. TheWEDO solution brings together all these features on a single platform. 💡Note that collaboration with external specialists is also very simple and possible without additional costs.

### 2\. Manage all meetings in one tool

From workspaces, users can manage all their meetings with WEDO: from the Board of Directors to the Deans, including pedagogical meetings and bilateral discussions. With the "Meeting" module, agendas can be prepared together as a team, minutes can be taken in real time, and assigned tasks can be tracked from one meeting to the next.

### 3\. Prepare agendas collectively

Unproductive meetings are usually the result of poor preparation. The feature that changes the daily life of management and administration is, without a doubt, the collective preparation of meetings. With WEDO, each employee can complete the agenda to prepare their contributions in advance. It is also possible to share and add documents, for all the information that will be consulted in advance or presented during the meeting (PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.).

### 4\. Highlight decisions made during meetings

Meetings are often closed without having documented clearly made decisions or knowing the pending issues and their deadlines. With WEDO, it is very easy to document the decisions and delegate the associated tasks in a reliable way. The meeting minutes are always clearly organized so that the relevant information can be found immediately.

### 5\. Delegate tasks in meetings

It is possible to create tasks and delegate them immediately during the meeting. Thus, the employees involved will be operational as soon as the meeting is over. From one meeting to the next, WEDO keeps track of the tasks completed so that you can always keep an eye on the deadlines set.

### 6\. Transparent and simple communication on running tasks

The task manager integrated into the WEDO platform simplifies collaboration and communication. It is possible to comment on a task, to share information and exchange with the people involved in its completion. A notification system allows you to stay informed in case of changes or important information.

### 7\. Find information quickly

With the powerful search function integrated in WEDO, you can access the required information with just a few clicks. The search runs across the platform using keywords. In this way, users can find meeting minutes, important decisions, tasks and files that contain the keyword they are looking for.

## WEDO is the ideal tool for Schools and Faculties

WEDO is a tool that brings teams together by providing multiple opportunities to communicate and collaborate efficiently. By integrating our solution in many schools and faculties, we understand the educational sector's organizational challenges. Enhance collaboration within your institution with our features:

🗓️ Agenda preparation, real-time minute taking and tracking of delegated meeting tasks.

✅ Collaborative management of tasks through workspaces. 

▶️ Automation of workflows to improve the quality of internal processes.

![WEDO-education-2_EN.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/WEDO_education_2_EN_d4dae7e484.png)

These customers have chosen WEDO to collaborate efficiently in their schools:

::button-secondary[Learn more about their testimonials]{link="/industries/education"}

Holding and tracking meetings, coordinating between departments, exchanging information and managing administration are daily challenges for the education sector. Learn how WEDO helps schools and academic institutions improve collaboration by optimizing their meeting and task management.

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