Although meetings are integral to a company, there are many executives and employees who complain about their length being sometimes excessive. In January, a study conducted by Doodle[^1]  revealed that Swiss employees spent an average of 5 hours per week in meetings. So how can you improve the efficiency of meetings? 

An endless meeting is often the result of poor preparation. To save time during a meeting, there are a few steps that should not be neglected. The moderator, as well as the attendees, must contribute to the elaboration of the meeting in order to plan its frame and progress. The meeting agenda, which represents the discussion thread, needs to be established according to the goals of the meeting in order to stay focused. This will help employees progress efficiently without wasting time. 

## Before the meeting – a collective preparation 

### Ask yourself the right questions and set clear goals

> _According to the survey on meetings presented by Doodle, 72% of the interviewed employees think that a good meeting goes through clearly set goals!_

Before scheduling a meeting, key questions need to be addressed: 

**What is the purpose of the meeting?** The outcome of the meeting will serve as a guideline. This preliminary question will allow you to highlight the interest of the meeting for the attendees. 

**What are the main topics to address?** The following step is to define the topics to be addressed during the meeting to achieve the desired goal. These topics will be the items of the meeting agenda.

**Who are the people involved?** A meeting with a large number of presenters is likely to drag on. It is therefore important to gather only those who are directly involved in the topics, decisions and tasks to be performed. 

**What is the estimated time for the meeting?**  According to the number of topics to be addressed, try to estimate and set the duration of the meeting and stick to it on the day of the meeting.

### Establish an organized and clear meeting agenda

> _According to the survey on meetings presented by Doodle, 67% of the interviewed employees think that a good meeting goes through a clearly established meeting agenda._

**List the different items in the meeting agenda >**  A meeting agenda consists of a list of items that resume the topics to be covered during the meeting. The establishment of a precise meeting agenda will ensure efficiency and rapidity during the meeting and will thus avoid unnecessary digressions and off-topic debates. Depending on the topics to be addressed, you can build the frame of the meeting by choosing, for example, a list of points hierarchized in different levels (ex: 1., 1.1, 1.2, 1.3,). If this organization does not seem relevant to you, you can try to group the items to address according to criteria that makes sense regarding the type of meeting: _departments or services concerned, addressed topics, topics ordered according to the interventions of different presenters, steps of the project to realize,_ etc.

**Define the role of the presenters >**  Depending on the established items, define who will speak during the meeting. In order to avoid taking attendees by surprise, schedule each person’s interventions ahead of time according to the meeting agenda. This will encourage them to prepare the meeting and will improve the efficiency and length of the discussions.

**Make the meeting agenda accessible to allow attendees to consult it >** Once the meeting agenda has been established, make sure to share it with all the attendees a few days before the meeting. A good preparation of the different interventions will contribute positively to the smooth running of the meeting. Furthermore, a previously established meeting agenda is likely to ensure a well-organized and productive meeting. The attendees will feel concerned and will not have the impression that the upcoming meeting will be wasting their valuable time.

## During the meeting – the roles of the meeting moderator and the drafter

### Progress according to the set order 

On the day of the meeting, keep the goal of the meeting in mind. The moderator of the meeting is responsible for its smooth running and must avoid any misplacements by following rigorously the pre-established meeting agenda. This will avoid the attendees to feel lost and they will be able to follow the discussions by referring to the common frame previously diffused. 

### Address the covered topics in a systematic way

The moderator of the meeting must try to facilitate the task of the meeting minutes drafter by being clear and rigorous in the way he conducts the meeting. By discussing each item of the meeting agenda in a systematic way, you will ensure a productive meeting and meeting minutes drafting while avoiding wasting time. But how can you discuss the various items of the meeting agenda in a systematic way? 

Here is a solution that considers the discussion of each item of the meeting agenda following three steps that will come out as three separate blocks of information in the meeting minutes: 

**Step 1 – the minutes of the discussions:** Every topic covered in a meeting generally leads to a discussion that will need to be transcribed in the meeting minutes > _this constitutes the first block of information of the discussed item._

**Step 2 – the result of the discussions:** The decisions and high points of the preliminary discussions should be highlighted > _this constitutes the second block of information of the discussed item._ Many employees often complain about leaving a meeting without really knowing which major decisions were made. Highlighting them will avoid that kind of uncomfortable feeling.

**Step 3 – tasks arising from the decisions:** The attendees will have to perform various tasks to reach the set goals > _this constitutes the last block of information of the discussed item._ Thanks to a clear division of tasks to perform, the attendees will be operational as soon as the meeting ends. This will avoid people forgetting what they are supposed to do from a meeting to the next. 

This method will encourage you to proceed in an efficient manner and will facilitate the drafting of the meeting minutes. Furthermore, when the attendees will have to review the meeting minutes, they will easily obtain the necessary information. Needless to say, certain items will not require such a structure and can therefore be covered far more quickly – for example by using only one of the three proposed blocks of information. 

In summary, the success of a company meeting is largely dependent on its preparation. By focusing on clearly set goals and on a clear meeting agenda, you will necessarily limit the length of your meetings and thus keep the attendees active and concerned. Establishing a meeting agenda can sometimes seem tedious. The trick is to create a meeting agenda template according to the different meetings that you conduct. This way, from one meeting to the next, you will only have to make a few changes to the template of the previous meeting agenda for the upcoming meeting, without having to create a new one each time. 

Do you want to facilitate the preparation and conduct of your meetings?

::button-primary[Schedule a live demo]{link="/demo"}

[^1]: To carry out the study in question, more than 6’500 professionals from the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and the United States were interviewed. 

Do your company meetings tend to drag on? In this article you will find a few tips to limit their duration! 

This image introduces tips on how to keep business meetings short, illustrated with a stopwatch showing 25 minutes

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How to limit the duration of a meeting?

Trello

Asana

Decisions

Monday.com

eSéances

MS Teams

MS Planner

OneNote

Every day, we juggle a series of tasks, from answering emails and attending meetings all the way to cooking dinner or finally folding that pile of laundry staring us down for days. Task management is everywhere around us, whether we realize it or not. 

But here's the catch: managing tasks is more than checking boxes. It's making sure the right boxes are checked at the right time, by the right people.

For individuals, good task management can mean less stress and more time to spend on what matters most to them. For teams and organizations, it's the difference between controlled chaos and seamless collaboration. When done well, task management becomes a superpower, moving businesses toward growth and ensuring projects are delivered on time (and with fewer sleepless nights).

In this guide, we're going to explore strategies, tools, and best practices that turn task management into a fine-tuned system. Whether you're wrangling your own to-do list or leading a team toward big goals, this can be your roadmap to staying on top of your game. 

Let's get started!


The Ultimate Guide to Task Management: Strategies, Tools, and Best Practices

We’ve all walked out of a meeting wondering what just happened. No clear direction, no notes, no decisions, and somehow a follow-up meeting gets scheduled to rehash it all. Multiply that by ten, and you’ve got the average workweek for many teams.

Unproductive meetings are a major drain on time and momentum. The signs are easy to spot:

- No structured meeting agenda, so conversations drift
- Agenda items aren’t prioritized or time-boxed
- Key decisions and important information aren’t captured
- Action items are vague or forgotten altogether

Many teams still rely on a disconnected mix of tools: email threads for prep, video calls for discussion, shared docs for notes, and separate apps for task follow-up. By the time someone checks in on progress, the details have already been lost.

At best, these meetings stall momentum. At worst, they lead to confusion, missed deadlines, and frustration.

In this blog post, we’ll break down what effective meeting management actually looks like and how WEDO helps teams plan smarter, document in real time, and follow up without the extra work.

![Comparison between fragmented tools and WEDO for meetings. Old way: emails, docs, calls, notes, tasks scattered. With WEDO: shared agenda, live editing, task creation, auto-minutes, centralized tracking](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/from_fragmented_tools_to_one_seamless_meeting_workflow_en_1544cae07d.png)

## What Effective Meeting Management Looks Like

Running a productive meeting doesn’t require complexity. It requires a system that works.

Effective meeting management starts with structure. That includes a clear meeting agenda, time allocated for each agenda item, and visibility for all team members before the meeting begins. When people know what to expect, meetings stay focused.

Structure allows space for real decisions. Meetings become working sessions where things get done, not just time spent recapping old news.

A few key traits of [productive meetings](https://wedo.com/features/meetings):

- Agenda items are prioritized by urgency or importance
- Contributors are assigned ahead of time
- The conversation leads to clear outcomes

During the meeting, documentation should happen in real time. Some teams use a notetaker, some rely on shared docs, and others use tools that automate the process. But without a structured system, notes end up scattered or incomplete.

The key is to capture important information as it happens, decisions, blockers, and follow-ups, so it doesn’t fall through the cracks. When notes are tied to the right agenda items, the entire team stays aligned.

Follow-up doesn’t start after the meeting. It starts during it. When ownership is clear and tasks are visible, progress continues without extra admin work.

## WEDO’s All-in-One Approach to Meeting Management

Modern teams are juggling more complexity than ever: hybrid schedules, async updates, global time zones, and fast-moving projects with multiple stakeholders.

But even as teams adapt, one thing hasn’t kept up: the way meetings are managed. Too often, agendas are thrown together at the last minute, decisions go undocumented, and action items get lost between platforms.

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) gives teams a single workspace to plan, run, and follow up on meetings, without relying on a patchwork of tools.

![Infographic of 3 phases of meeting management with WEDO. Before: build agenda, assign roles, reuse templates. During: edit agenda live, capture notes, assign tasks. After: auto-generate minutes, carry over tasks, keep records accessible, track follow-ups](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/the_3_phases_of_meeting_management_with_WEDO_en_3cc01f68a6.png)

**Before the meeting:**

- Build and share the meeting agenda with enough time for team members to prep
- Add clear agenda items with time allocations and discussion leads
- Reuse templates for recurring team meetings to keep things consistent
- Give everyone a place to contribute asynchronously if needed

**During the meeting:**

- Edit the live agenda as conversations evolve
- Capture notes under each agenda item so context is never lost
- Tag team members and [assign tasks directly in the workspace](https://wedo.com/features/tasks)
- Keep the meeting focused with built-in virtual meeting tools and live visibility

**After the meeting:**

- Automatically generate meeting minutes tied to the original agenda
- Carry over any incomplete action items into the next meeting
- Keep everything searchable, from comments to decisions to file attachments
- Ensure important information stays accessible, not buried in someone’s inbox

The full meeting process happens in one place. From prep to follow-up, every step is tracked and visible. Notes stay attached to the agenda, action items stay with their owners, and team members can revisit decisions without digging through old email threads or side chats.

Instead of resetting every time, WEDO keeps meetings connected, so your team builds on what’s already been done, rather than starting from scratch.

## Built for Every Meeting Type

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) adapts to the format and structure of any meeting. Whether it’s a daily stand-up, project review, or leadership sync, the same shared workspace supports it all.

Each meeting agenda can be tailored to match the format, either from scratch or using a reusable template. Agenda items come with time estimates, owners, and relevant context so teams stay focused.

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) works for in-person, remote, and hybrid teams. Everyone sees the same notes, tasks, and agenda in real time, whether they’re joining live or reviewing later.

Common ways teams use WEDO:

- Project meetings: track blockers, assign next steps, and document key updates
- One-on-ones: maintain continuity and document feedback
- Team check-ins: align on goals and progress without wasted time
- Leadership reviews: tie key decisions to follow-up action
- Hybrid collaboration: allow asynchronous updates before or after meetings

With everything centralized, important information stays visible and nothing gets lost in inboxes or chat threads.

## Building Better Meeting Management Skills with WEDO

Better meeting habits don’t come from more policies. They come from using better tools.

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) helps teams build stronger meeting management skills by baking structure into the process.

- **Templates** bring consistency. Teams don’t have to guess what goes into a weekly sync or project kickoff. It’s already built in.
- **Agenda items** come with owners and time limits. Everyone knows who’s leading each section and how long they have.
- **Task assignment happens on the spot.** As the meeting unfolds, tasks can be created directly under agenda items and assigned to specific team members with due dates. There’s no need to retype notes afterward or follow up in a separate tool—everything gets captured and delegated while the conversation is happening.
- **Meeting minutes** are saved in context, linked to the agenda that generated them. No separate doc to clean up later.
- **Follow-up** is automatic. Assigned tasks stay visible after the meeting, so they don’t get buried or forgotten.

This isn’t an extra layer of process. It’s how [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) works by default. As teams use it, they naturally improve their meeting process. Discussions get sharper. Prep gets easier. Follow-through improves without needing separate workflows.

## The Results Teams See with WEDO

When meetings are planned well and followed through, the impact is clear. The agenda gets used. Notes are captured while they’re still fresh. Tasks are assigned before the meeting ends. And no one has to chase updates later.

Teams that use [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) start seeing results quickly:

- Meetings stay focused and end on time
- Everyone knows who owns what
- Decisions are documented, not just mentioned
- Past meetings are easy to reference
- Projects move forward between meetings, not just during them

Instead of managing meetings across five different tools, everything lives in one place, built for real-time collaboration, task follow-up, and shared accountability.

**Ready to run meetings that actually lead somewhere?** [Try WEDO for free today](https://wedo.com/signup) and see the difference one tool can make.

Simplify your meetings with WEDO’s meeting management software. Plan agendas, capture notes, and assign tasks in one place.

Orange background with text 'Plan, Document, and Follow Up with WEDO' next to a calendar icon representing task and meeting organization

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Meeting Management Software: Plan, Document, and Follow Up with WEDO

Ever lost track of a critical task buried in an email thread? Or watched deadlines creep up because nobody was sure who owned what? Relying on a simple task list won’t cut it when multiple projects, due dates, and team members collide.

That’s where a dedicated task organizer or a task management tool comes in. [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) brings tasks, checklists, and meetings into one workspace. You can assign tasks to the right person, set due dates that sync with your calendar, and apply task checklist templates for recurring processes. With real time updates and a built‑in Kanban view, everyone sees the latest status without jumping between apps.

![Graphic “WEDO Task Organizer – Key Features at a Glance” with 6 highlighted features: Quick task creation, dependencies & subtasks, real-time updates, multiple views, calendar sync, comments & email conversion, checklist templates.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/WEDO_task_organizer_key_features_at_a_glance_en_dd38b51df8.png)

In this article, we’ll walk through WEDO’s task features, show you how to plan and prioritize projects, and explain how to track progress so your team spends less time hunting for updates and more time getting things done.

## Why You Need a Task Management Tool

Here’s why a dedicated task organizer is essential for any team:

1. Scattered tasks lead to confusion and delays. When work lives across emails, chat threads, and multiple spreadsheets, it’s hard to know who’s doing what and when it’s due. A centralized [task management tool](https://wedo.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-task-management-tool-for-your-team) solves this by consolidating every task in one place.

2. Clear ownership prevents dropped balls. In a shared task list, each item names its assignee. There’s no room for guesswork or “I didn’t realize that was mine.” Responsibility is explicit, which keeps tasks moving forward and reduces the need for constant follow‑up.

3. Visible deadlines keep projects on track. Due dates displayed alongside tasks and synced to your calendar,  ensure everyone sees upcoming milestones. Automated reminders surface tasks before they become overdue, so you spend less time scrambling and more time executing.

4. Flexible views support any workflow. Whether you need a prioritized task list, a Kanban board to visualize stages, or a calendar overview to plan weeks ahead, a task management tool adapts to your process. Real‑time updates mean all team members work off the same information without juggling multiple documents.

5. Built‑in templates and dependencies create consistency. Reusable checklist templates streamline repetitive processes, while task dependency features enforce the correct sequence of activities. This structure scales as your project grows, turning ad‑hoc to‑dos into a predictable workflow.

In summary, a task organizer transforms chaotic to‑do lists into a transparent, accountable system. It centralizes tasks, clarifies ownership, highlights deadlines, and adapts to your team’s needs, so you can focus on results instead of managing scattered details.

## WEDO’s Task & Checklist Features

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) packs powerful features into its platform, making it easy to manage everything from one‑off action items to complex, multi‑step processes.

### Quick Task Creation

Adding new work is simple. Click “New Task,” fill in the title and description, attach supporting files, choose a due date, and assign a responsible team member. If others need visibility, you can add them as watchers to follow updates and activity. Everyone involved receives a notification right away, so tasks never go unnoticed.

### Reusable Checklist Templates

Instead of rebuilding the same process each time, WEDO lets you create [checklist templates](https://wedo.com/features/tasks), a predefined list of tasks (and optional subtasks) tailored to recurring workflows like “Draft,” “Review,” “Approve,” “Publish.” When it’s time to execute the process, you simply launch a new checklist based on the template. Each task can be tracked independently, with real-time updates reflecting overall progress and keeping everyone aligned.

### Advanced Subtasks and Dependencies

Complex deliverables often involve multiple steps and stakeholders. WEDO lets you break a task into subtasks, assign each to a different team member, and set individual due dates. When order matters, mark subtasks as “blocks” or “blocked by” to enforce the right sequence and prevent premature starts.

### Multiple Views: List, Kanban, and Gantt

Different projects call for different perspectives. In List view, you can sort and filter tasks by project, assignee, due date, or custom fields. [Kanban view](https://wedo.com/blog/what-is-a-kanban-board-tools-apps-and-project-use-cases-explained) shows tasks as cards moving through workflow stages like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done,” making it easy to spot bottlenecks. And for a visual timeline, [Gantt view](https://wedo.com/blog/manage-your-projects-efficiently-with-wedo-s-gantt-chart) maps tasks across a calendar so you can track overlaps, dependencies, and progress over time, all in one place.

### Calendar Synchronization

Never miss a deadline again. Every due date in WEDO automatically appears in Outlook, Gmail, iCal, or any other ICS‑compatible calendar. Your task deadlines and meetings share the same view, so you can plan your day without toggling between apps.

### In‑Task Comments and Email Conversion

Context matters. Add comments directly within a task to discuss details, tag colleagues for input, or link related meeting minutes. When an actionable email lands in your inbox, convert it into a WEDO task, attachments included, so nothing slips through the cracks.

By combining these features, intuitive task creation, powerful templates, dependency management, flexible views, [calendar sync](https://wedo.com/features/meetings), and contextual collaboration, WEDO streamlines every step of task management. In the next section, we’ll see how to use these tools to plan and prioritize entire projects.

## Planning and Prioritizing Projects with WEDO

Effective project planning starts by breaking your goals into concrete tasks. In WEDO, you begin by creating a new project or linking tasks directly to a meeting’s action items. From there, follow these steps:

![Diagram “Your Task Workflow in WEDO” showing 7 steps: Create projects & milestones, add tasks or checklists, assign owners & due dates, prioritize & set dependencies, choose your view, track live progress, review in meetings.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/from_planning_to_progress_your_task_workflow_in_WEDO_en_4d5c5cef4b.png)

1. **Define Milestones and Tasks**
    - Outline your key deliverables, such as launch dates, major feature rollouts, or campaign deadlines, and set them as milestones.
    - Under each milestone, create tasks with clear titles, descriptions, and due dates. If a process repeats (like content reviews), apply a checklist template to save time.
2. **Assign and Balance**
    - Allocate tasks to team members based on expertise and current workload. WEDO’s task list shows each person’s assignments and due dates side by side, making it easy to spot overload.
    - Adjust assignments or due dates directly in the list or Kanban view to even out workloads and keep progress steady.
3. **Set Priorities with Urgency and Importance**
    
    [WEDO helps you prioritize](https://wedo.com/blog/guide-to-managing-and-prioritizing-your-daily-tasks) using the Eisenhower matrix, so tasks are ranked by what truly matters:
    
    - **Assign urgency and importance** to each task to determine how it should be handled: act, schedule, delegate, or eliminate.
    - **Sort and filter tasks** in List view based on these priority levels, so the most critical work always stays visible.
    - **Encourage smarter decisions** across the team by focusing on impact and time sensitivity, not just arbitrary labels.
4. **Layer in Dependencies**
    - For tasks that must follow a specific sequence, link them with WEDO’s dependency feature. This ensures that downstream work only begins when upstream tasks are complete, preventing hold‑ups.
5. **Sync Deadlines**
    - With due dates in place, your calendar stays current. Check your calendar view to see how [task deadlines](https://wedo.com/blog/how-to-stay-on-top-of-task-deadlines-and-due-dates) align with meetings and events, and adjust so high‑priority tasks get the attention they need.
6. **Review and Adjust**
    - During regular status meetings, or right from your meeting minutes, pull up the project’s task list in WEDO. Mark completed items, reassign tasks that need reshuffling, and revise due dates based on new information.

By structuring work into milestones, assigning ownership, flagging important tasks, and enforcing dependencies, WEDO helps you create a living project plan. Prioritization becomes a simple matter of filtering, sorting, and tagging, so your team always knows what to tackle next.

## Tracking Progress and Staying Aligned

Keeping projects on track means knowing where every task stands at a glance. WEDO provides real-time visibility and context so you and your team stay aligned:

**Live Task Status**

Every change, from marking a subtask done to updating a due date, appears instantly for all collaborators. No more waiting on email replies or outdated spreadsheets; you see progress as it happens.

**Dashboard and Feed**

WEDO’s workspace feed offers a chronological log of task activity: who completed what, when, and any comments added. Use the dashboard to get a high-level view of tasks due soon, overdue items, and overall completion rates for a project.

**Meeting Integration**

Link tasks to meeting agendas and minutes. When you review notes in your next meeting, WEDO shows which action items are complete and which still need attention. You can even create follow-up tasks on the spot and assign them without leaving the meeting interface.

**Custom Filters and Saved Views**

Focus on what matters most by filtering tasks by assignee, due date range, priority, or project. Save these configurations as custom views so you can return to the exact slice of work you need, whether that’s “My tasks due this week” or “High‑priority items in Project X.”

**Notifications and Alerts**

Choose how you want to be notified, via in‑app alerts, email summaries, or both, so you never miss critical updates. WEDO surfaces reminders for approaching due dates and flags overdue tasks to keep everyone accountable.

By combining live status updates, an activity feed, seamless meeting links, custom filters, and smart alerts, WEDO ensures you always have current, actionable information. That means fewer surprises, more proactive course corrections, and projects that finish on time.

## Power‑User & Security Features

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) doesn’t just handle tasks; it also scales with growing teams and secures your data:

**Public API & MS Teams Integration (Coming Soon)**

For advanced workflows, WEDO offers an API so you can build custom integrations and automate repetitive steps. An upcoming Microsoft Teams integration will push task updates directly into your team’s chat channels.

**External Users**

Collaborate beyond your organization by inviting clients or contractors into your WEDO workspace, free of charge. You control access rights so external users see only what’s relevant to them.

**Mobile Access**

Stay productive on the go. WEDO’s mobile‑friendly interface works seamlessly on any device with a browser, ensuring you can review, assign, or complete tasks whether you’re at your desk or in transit.

**Smart Notifications**

Customize your alert preferences: choose instant notifications for critical updates, daily digests for routine check‑ins, or silent mode when you need focused work time.

**Swiss‑Hosted Security**

WEDO is built and hosted in Switzerland on ISO/IEC 27001 certified servers. Features like SAML single sign‑on and two‑factor authentication protect your organization’s data and meet rigorous compliance standards.

These power‑user and security features ensure that as your task lists, and your team, grow, WEDO remains a safe, flexible, and reliable backbone for your project management.

## Conclusion

Effective task management is the foundation of successful projects. With [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features), you gain a unified platform that simplifies task creation, enforces consistent workflows through checklist templates and dependencies, and offers both list and Kanban views for maximum clarity. Real‑time updates and meeting integration ensure that every team member stays aligned, while Swiss‑hosted, ISO‑certified security safeguards your data.

Experience how WEDO can streamline your planning, prioritization, and tracking processes: [start your free trial today](https://wedo.com/signup) and turn your team’s task chaos into clear, trackable progress.

Plan, prioritize, and track tasks with WEDO. Assign tasks, set due dates, reuse checklist templates, switch to Kanban view, and get real‑time updates—all in one workspace.

Illustration with the text "Plan, Prioritize, and Track Like a Pro" on a yellow background, next to blue icons representing a workflow with milestones and a check mark.

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WEDO as a Task Organizer: Plan, Prioritize, and Track Like a Pro

In the fast-paced world of administrative management, executive assistants play a crucial role. The Swiss army knives of any organization juggle many tasks and deadlines while supervising those of others. Faced with these challenges, they often find themselves overwhelmed by routine, repetitive responsibilities. We immersed ourselves in the daily lives of 6 executive assistants who use the WEDO platform to understand the workings of their organization, the challenges they face, and the tools they have put in place to facilitate their management.

According to our study, the most time-consuming tasks for executive assistants revolve mainly around administrative functions. These activities, while necessary, tend to monopolize a significant proportion of their working time, preventing them from concentrating fully on more crucial aspects of their role, such as operational and strategic development.

Among the most time-consuming tasks in their job descriptions, the executive assistants surveyed identify the following:

**1. Meeting preparation:** preparing agendas and presentation documents, taking and sharing minutes, following up on decisions and tasks delegated at meetings,

**2. Diary management and meeting organization:** planning and coordination of appointments, team meetings, and conferences, taking care to avoid scheduling conflicts,
**3. Document preparation and management:** drafting, proofreading, and organizing important documents such as reports, presentations, correspondence and contracts,

**4. Project coordination:** managing and following up on specific projects, liaising between different departments, and meeting deadlines.

Internal and external communications, administrative support, and human resources management closely follow those.

## How to lighten the administrative load for an executive assistant?

When asked what tools were used to monitor collaboration before WEDO was integrated, the most common programs were Outlook, Word (for taking minutes), and Excel. However, these tools had significant limitations. Respondents reported difficulties related to the cross-functionality of information between different team members. For example, these tools were not conducive to **active, real-time collaboration when taking PVs**, making this task often cumbersome and time-consuming, and necessitating numerous round-trips. The systematic use of e-mail to distribute these documents wasted considerable time without guaranteeing effective communication.

Furthermore, the limited nature of these tools prevented efficient tracking of tasks and projects. Users faced significant challenges maintaining a clear, up-to-date overview of projects. In short, although these tools are widespread and familiar, their use in team collaboration and project management needs to be improved.

This situation underlines the importance of cross-functional tools and solutions to lighten the administrative workload. With the implementation of WEDO, the executive assistants surveyed were able to optimize their administrative processes.

### 1. Meeting preparation and management

![computerized agenda for real-time note-taking](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/reunion_ENEN_aad2ef7f0e.png)

One of the most time-consuming aspects of the job is the preparation of meetings. With WEDO, executive assistants benefit from automated management and considerable time savings in preparation and follow-up. The platform enables uniform management of minutes, clear distribution of post-meeting tasks, and automatic tracking of topics from one session to the next. Users report an average time saving of 55% for these tasks.

![save time spent on meetings](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/55_ENEN_83c8604c19.png)

WEDO's meeting module lets you integrate blocks of paragraphs, tasks, file attachments, personal notes, votes and signatures, among others.

![testimonial Regula Oberdorfer](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Regula_Oberdorfer_ENEN_1a54d3c30f.png)

### 2. Project management and task tracking

![efficient task management](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/tasks_ENEN_be99588a59.png)

Project management and tracking represent another major challenge. WEDO simplifies this task by offering clear delegation possibilities, the creation of checklist templates to standardize processes, and real-time task tracking. This leads to better prioritization and more efficient day-to-day management.

![testimonials Aline Volery and Nicole Thalmann](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/testimonials_Aline_et_Nicole_ENEN_11a8dc6cff.png)

### Use case: facilitating HR processes and the transmission of specifications

When executive assistants are involved in HR processes, the integration of WEDO proves to be a major asset. The platform makes it possible to standardize on-boarding and off-boarding procedures by means of specific checklists. These checklists, drawn up for each stage of the process, automatically assign the relevant tasks to the team members concerned. This method ensures structured, efficient management of personnel transitions, eliminating the operational uncertainties often associated with the question "What steps should I take?".

By simplifying these processes, WEDO not only eases the workload for HR managers, but also contributes to a clear, documented handover of tasks and knowledge from one employee to the next.

![simplified hr processes](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Modeles_checklists_ENEN_fdf58af70f.png)

One of the decisive advantages of WEDO, highlighted by our management assistants, is the ease with which recruitment interviews can be documented in real time. Each exchange can be recorded directly in a standardized (and customized if required) agenda, enabling these interactions to be saved methodically and instantaneously.

### 4. Transmission of information

WEDO lets you link documents to tasks or meetings, ensuring that all the necessary information is in the right place. Global search makes it easy to retrieve documents, and to find a specific file based on a keyword found in the PDF file.

In terms of communication, WEDO users particularly appreciate the immediate visibility of entries and the ability to restrict access to certain information.

![Alexandra Locher](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Alexandra_locher_ENEN_e53527e95c.png)

**We asked our users to rate the platform on a scale of 1 to 10, to qualify the positive impact WEDO has on their daily tasks.**

![Best collaborative software for executive assistant productivity and organizations](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/preparation_reunion_note_ENEN_1_d92c7629a1.png)

![Alicia Aubert](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Alicia_Aubert_ENEN_5d3644b8f7.png)

Executive assistants can greatly ease their workload by equipping themselves with a collaborative platform. Do you have any questions or doubts about WEDO's compatibility with your needs? We'll be happy to give you a short 30-minute demonstration.

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In the fast-paced world of administrative management, executive assistants play a crucial role. The Swiss army knives of any organization juggle many tasks and deadlines while supervising those of others

An executive assistant speaking on the phone with colleagues blurred in the background, overlaid with the text “How to make an executive assistant’s daily life easier” and “Use case”

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Making daily life easier for executive assistants

Held once a month, quarter, or half-year, as required, these privileged meetings provide a confidential and open communication space, encouraging in-depth discussion of individual and collective objectives. They create a valuable opportunity to discuss each employee's specific challenges and needs, fostering better mutual understanding. Moreover, these meetings provide a framework for recognizing individual achievements and contributions, reinforcing a sense of accomplishment and belonging to the team. Thanks to these personalized exchanges, bilateral meetings contribute to more effective personnel management, more focused professional growth, and solid, fulfilling working relationships.

## Key topics for a bilateral meeting

During a bilateral meeting between a team leader and an employee, several key topics must be addressed to ensure effective communication and optimal management. Here are some of these topics:

### 1. Ongoing assessment
Discuss objectives for the current period and assess progress and results achieved. Identify successes and areas requiring further attention.

### 2. Professional Development
Explore opportunities for employee development, training, and professional growth. Identify skills to be strengthened and possible progression paths.

### 3. Feedback
Exchange constructive feedback on work performed, highlighting strengths and addressing areas for improvement. Encourage open dialogue to stimulate continuous learning.

### 4. Needs and Challenges
Allow employees to express their needs regarding resources, assistance, or support to accomplish their tasks. Discuss possible obstacles and find solutions together.

### 5. Work-Life Balance
Address workload-related issues, stress levels, and work-life balance. Identify measures to support employee well-being.

### 6. Projects and Initiatives
Discuss future projects, new initiatives, and potential employee contributions. Encourage active participation and creativity.

### 7. Management feedback
Offer employees the opportunity to share their feelings about management, work methods, and team communication. Foster an environment of trust and continuous improvement.

### 8. Focus on Vision
Ensure that the employee understands and adheres to the team or company's overall vision, values, and goals.

### 9. Resources and Support
Identify the resources required for the associate's success and ensure that he/she has the proper support to carry out his/her tasks.

### 10. Long-Term Planning
Examine longer-term perspectives and discuss the employee's career aspirations and how these align with team or organizational goals.

_"Enabling discussions in bilateral meetings, in a more intimate way and with a long-term vision, brings a notable benefit to the employee's career in the company. It makes them feel valued, heard and recognized above all. Setting clear, long-term objectives is a real motivator for them."_

**Marie Rudaz-Jaeggi**, *[AmbitionSuccess.ch](http://ambitionsuccess.ch/)* - MORGES

Team leaders and employees can establish fruitful collaboration, foster professional development, and maintain a positive working climate by addressing these topics regularly and in-depth at bilateral meetings.

## Use WEDO to keep track of your bilateral meetings!

![1_1 ENFR.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/1_1_ENFR_78b8a89537.png)

With WEDO, you can prepare your agenda jointly with your manager or colleague. In this way, each participant can prepare the questions or topics to be addressed.

Generally speaking, the agenda items for a bilateral meeting are recurrent. WEDO enables you to set the topics so that they recur from one time to the next to ensure that discussions are followed up and that objectives evolve.

Once completed, the minutes are locked and remain available to both participants for consultation.

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During a bilateral meeting between a team leader and an employee, several key topics must be addressed to ensure effective communication and optimal management.

A smiling person listening to their counterpart in a one-on-one meeting, overlaid with the text “Topics for a one-on-one meeting” and “Use case”

Productivity

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