## What is a team?

A team represents a department or a service of your organization. You can move workspaces and checklists templates from your network to previously created teams.

This new manner of grouping collaborators aims to improve the structure of your network. Furthermore, it simplifies the integration of new users: once their account is created, you can simply add them to the appropriate team. They will have direct access to workspaces and checklists templates that concern them.

Here is a preview of what a team-structured network looks like:

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_04_diapositive1_6402e25b7c.png)

## Main menu revised

The introduction of teams brings changes to the general ergonomics of the main menu on left side of the screen. A TEAMS section now appears in the menu and allows you to visualize the workspaces and checklists templates of the teams of which you are a member.

The idea is to replace the categorization of workspaces into different folders – which will eventually disappear in a future version.

We came up with a solution that will allow you to gradually adopt this new organization in teams. Hence, you will find in the side menu the following elements:

* The WORKSPACES
* The CHECKLISTS TEMPLATES
* The TEAMS – the newest category

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_04_slide1_1_3667ce2950.png)

In the long term, the ideal would be to have only the TEAMS section that groups and categorizes the workspaces and checklists templates.

Team-related workspaces and checklists templates are grouped into two tabs – you will find an example in the screenshot below, with the _Management_ team_._ 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_04_slide2_1fd493db75.png)

## How to adopt an organization in teams?

All users are allowed to create teams. We suggest you proceed in steps:

1. [Create a team](https://help.wedo.swiss/les-equipes/creer-une-equipe)
2. [Move a workspace to a team](https://help.wedo.swiss/les-equipes/deplacer-un-espace-de-travail-dans-un-equipe)
3. [Move a checklist template to a team](https://help.wedo.swiss/les-equipes/deplacer-un-modele-de-checklists-dans-un-equipe)

**Information:** Even though all users are allowed to create teams, only the moderators of workspaces and checklists templates have the right to move these elements to the different teams of the network.

## Confidentiality concerning workspaces

When you link a workspace to a team, you can choose between two options that will determine the confidentiality of the space in question:

* **Public:** all members of the team will automatically have access to it.
* **Private:** only members of the workspace will have access.

### Join a public space 

A public space can be joined by all members of the team.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_04_slide3_1_e3dd9238db.png)

### Private space

A private space is only visible to its members.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_04_slide4_c3eb9e221b.png)

For more information, please consult the following article in the Help Center:[ Create a workspace.](https://help.wedo.swiss/les-espaces-de-travail/creer-un-espace-de-travail)

### Checklists templates

Confidentiality also applies to checklists templates linked to a team. Hence, you have the option to create public or private templates.

For more information, please consult the following article in the Help Center: [Create](https://help.wedo.swiss/les-modeles-de-checklists/creer-un-modele-de-checklists) a checklist template.

## Review of access rights management in meetings

Other improvements in this new version: the distinction between meeting attendees and users who can access it.

The **Access** and **Signature** columns no longer appear in the list of meeting attendees. A button now allows you to access directly to the management of meeting access rights.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_04_slide5_94ca650f18.png)

From this overview, it is possible to manage the rights of each attendee according to the usual procedure. This is also where the signature option should be checked if necessary

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_04_slide6_c72517f846.png)

This access list also allows you to add other users and give them meeting access rights, even though they are not among the attendees.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_04_slide7_5ccebd1996.png)

## Other functionalities to discover in this version:

* Search through decisions made in meetings
* Sorting tasks according to scheduled dates
* Improved performance in the display of task lists
* A drop-down list to move from an organization to another when you are a member of several networks
* Display of the management of members in workspaces and checklists templates
* The design of maps representing workspaces and checklists templates

**Further questions concerning teams? Please consult the articles in our Help Center!**

[Access the Help Center](https://help.wedo.swiss/les-equipes)

Our latest update introduces a new system that will help you organize and structure your network according to different work teams.

2019-04-structure-your-network-according-to-teams

large_2019-04-structure-your-network-according-to-teams

medium_2019-04-structure-your-network-according-to-teams

small_2019-04-structure-your-network-according-to-teams

thumbnail_2019-04-structure-your-network-according-to-teams

Structure your network according to teams

> When your workload becomes overwhelming, staying organized can feel impossible. How do you manage to stay positive and on top of your daily tasks when faced with a seemingly endless list of responsibilities?

It’s not always easy to know where to start. Rather than jumping in headfirst, take a moment to step back and plan. Organizing your day before tackling tasks is essential for reducing stress and boosting productivity. By breaking down your work, **writing a task list**, and **assigning tasks**, you’ll feel more in control.

But what’s the best way to do this? Follow these four simple steps to organize your day and **stay on top of your workload**.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_10_4_etapes_pour_mieux_gerer_vos_taches_au_quotidien_cba3791351.png)

## Step 1: Write down all of your tasks

Before prioritizing or planning, start by listing all your tasks. Check your emails, notes, and current projects to get a complete overview. This step helps you clearly define your workload and ensures you don’t miss any day-to-day tasks.

Create a task list that breaks down all your work into smaller, manageable parts. Whether it's long-term projects or short-term deadlines, seeing everything laid out will give you a clearer picture of your responsibilities. This helps you separate smaller tasks from bigger projects and organize them accordingly.

One of the easiest ways to improve task management is by using digital tools. Many task management platforms allow you to compile tasks and even set deadlines for each one. This helps you better understand the workload and ensures that nothing gets overlooked.

## Step 2: Prioritize your tasks

Prioritizing tasks is crucial for managing your time effectively. But how do you decide what’s important? Start by distinguishing between tasks that are urgent and those that are important—two terms that are often confused.

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s famous method, the [Eisenhower Matrix](https://www.forbes.com/sites/hillennevins/2023/01/05/how-to-get-stuff-done-the-eisenhower-matrix-aka-the-urgent-vs-the-important/), helps clarify this distinction. His quote, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important,” is the foundation for this technique. The Eisenhower Matrix helps you categorize tasks into four groups:

**- Urgent and Important:** These tasks require immediate attention and directly contribute to your long-term goals. They should be addressed first.
**- Important but Not Urgent:** These tasks don’t need immediate action but are essential for your personal and work-related goals. Schedule them for later.
**- Urgent but Not Important:** These tasks need attention but don’t necessarily help you achieve your long-term projects. Delegate these whenever possible.
**- Not Urgent and Not Important:** Tasks that neither support your goals nor need to be completed soon. These can be deferred or moved to the bottom of the list.

The urgent but not important tasks represent tasks linked to the goals of other people (such as tasks to do in the context of a collective project). Hence, you can delegate them to third parties as much as possible. Tasks that are neither urgent or important can be moved to a sort of “suggestion box.”

These tasks are not essential at the moment, as they do not have a direct influence on your long-term goals, but they should still be kept in mind. The main idea is that tasks should be frequently reviewed, and their relevance should be analyzed to see if their status is changing. This makes it easier to stay on top of things, even when faced with many responsibilities.

![Eisenhower Matrix for task prioritization: do now, delegate, schedule for later, or defer/ignore tasks for better time management.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_task_organisation_eisenhower_matrix_en_6371fef608.png)

Knowing how to [manage daily tasks](https://wedo.com/blog/organize-your-telecommuting-days-by-managing-your-tasks-with-wedo) requires understanding which tasks are most critical to your personal and organizational goals. The better you become at sorting through priorities, the easier it will be to maintain focus and complete tasks efficiently.

## Step 3: Plan and schedule your tasks
Once you’ve identified which tasks are most important, the next step is to plan and schedule them. This involves setting clear due dates and organizing your tasks over days, weeks, or months, depending on the timeline for completion.

For all important tasks, try to set a planning date according to your time schedule. Use a [project management tool](https://wedo.com/features/project-management) or task management platforms to break down big projects into smaller tasks that can be completed over time. Start by organizing your week and allocating specific days to specific tasks. Having a clear schedule allows you to pace yourself and stay focused on what needs to be done each day.

Make sure to note both the due date and planning date—the planning date is when you’ll work on the task, while the due date is the final deadline. This approach helps with time management and ensures that you’re not rushing at the last minute.

In your work routine, you probably have tasks that recur. Recurring tasks can also be planned more efficiently by using task management tools that allow you to set reminders for daily tasks or long-term projects. Setting recurring tasks will help you manage your workflow smoothly.

A well-structured schedule not only helps you stay on top of tasks but also increases productivity by reducing last-minute stress. By assigning tasks to specific time slots, you can ensure that each one gets the attention it deserves.

![Four steps to organize daily tasks: write down tasks, prioritize, plan and schedule, and delegate and collaborate with team members.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_task_organisation_4_steps_en_49d238141c.png)

## Step 4: Delegate and collaborate
In your daily life, you are likely to collaborate and work in teams. And sometimes, the best way to manage your workload is by [delegating tasks](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/for-smarter-decisions-empower-your-employees). Urgent but not important tasks, for example, are perfect for delegation. These may be tasks that contribute to a project’s progress but aren’t critical to your own responsibilities.

When you delegate tasks to team members, be sure to communicate clearly. Assign the task, set a due date, and follow up to ensure it’s completed on time. Collaboration tools can make delegation easier by allowing you to share tasks in real time and track progress. Make use of [project management software](https://wedo.com/features/project-management) to keep everyone aligned and working toward shared goals.

Delegating frees up your time for the tasks that require your personal attention, while also empowering your team members to take on more responsibility.

## Stay on top of your daily task list
Following these steps allows you to stay organized and [manage your time](https://wedo.com/blog/organize-your-telecommuting-days-by-managing-your-tasks-with-wedo) effectively. Avoid overloading yourself by overestimating how much you can complete in a single day. Instead, set clear, manageable goals and focus on completing tasks one by one. At the end of each day, take a moment to review your progress.

Were the tasks you planned completed? If so, it means you’ve set reasonable goals. If not, consider reducing the number of tasks on your daily task list to ensure you don’t overwhelm yourself. This regular review will help you refine your approach and increase productivity over time.

## Choosing the right task management tools
The good news is that you don’t have to do this all on your own. There are many [task management tools](https://wedo.com/features/tasks) and project management software available that can help you organize your tasks. These tools provide pre-made templates for task organization, making it easier to track progress, set deadlines, and ensure tasks are completed on time.

Look for a project management tool that fits your working style—something flexible and easy to use. These tools will allow you to assign tasks, set priorities, manage deadlines, and track progress in real time, helping you and your team stay on top of everything.

## Conclusion: Take control of your time
By following these four steps—writing down tasks, prioritizing, planning, and delegating—you’ll find it much easier to manage your workload. Staying organized helps you avoid unnecessary stress and allows you to stay focused on your goals. Whether it’s managing day-to-day responsibilities or planning for long-term projects, using the right tools and techniques will keep you productive.
Want to improve your task management process? Discover how WEDO can help you organize your work more effectively with our customizable tools for real-time collaboration.

Schedule a live demo today and start optimizing your workflow!

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

Discover how to manage daily tasks with these 4 simple steps. Learn how to stay organized, prioritize, and delegate your workload for better productivity.

This image outlines 4 steps to improve daily task management, shown with a checklist and pencil icon on an orange background

large_2-4-steps-to-improve-the-management-of-your-daily-tasks.png

medium_2-4-steps-to-improve-the-management-of-your-daily-tasks.png

small_2-4-steps-to-improve-the-management-of-your-daily-tasks.png

thumbnail_2-4-steps-to-improve-the-management-of-your-daily-tasks.png

2-4-steps-to-improve-the-management-of-your-daily-tasks.png

4 Steps to Organize and Manage Your Daily Tasks at Work

## Move a meeting to another workspace

You now have the possibility to move a meeting to another workspace. To do so, first go to the workspace in question (1) and then click the **Meetings** tab (2). Click the button with the **three vertical points** (3) on the meeting you would like to move and then select **Move to…** (4).

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive1_29a147a849.png)

A window will open with a list of all the available workspaces. Select the workspace to which you would like to move the meeting (5).

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive2_ac0d239829.png)

To finalize, click **Move meeting** (6).

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive3_00a6b63d7d.png)

## Create a meeting outside a workspace

Meetings can be created from your personal space. This functionality allows you to organize a bilateral meeting without having to create a single use workspace. You also have the possibility to prepare a meeting agenda in your personal space, and make it accessible at the right moment by moving the meeting to a workspace. 

To add a meeting from your **Personal space** (1), select the **Meetings** tab (2) and click **Add meeting** (3).

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive4_7797334901.png)

## Import tasks from all workspaces 

Tasks that are linked to other workspaces can be imported to the items of the meeting agenda of a specific meeting. This option will be useful if you wish to organize a global meeting in which several tasks from different workspaces will be treated. From the pending tasks box or from the **\+ button** (1), you will be able to access all tasks from the workspaces you are a member of.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive5_ed1cc1aed7.png)

A **drop-down list** (2) which allows you to browse from a workspace to another has been added. To access the pending tasks from another workspace, select the drop-down list and the workspace which contains the tasks you want to import (3), and click on the **tasks to import** (4).

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive6_b44549c3ce.png)

To finalize the importation, click **Import** (5).

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive7_5ef0ecb87f.png)

## Reorder notes and decisions of an item 

It is now possible to change the order of the notes and decisions within an item or a sub-item. When you are browsing through your agenda items, a **drag-and-drop button** will appear in the left margin and your mouse pointer will become a hand. Click on that button and drag and drop the notes and decisions to the desired place.

Information: it is still impossible to change the order between notes, decisions and tasks. They can only be reordered within their categories.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive8_05dac3f982.png)

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive9_457ddc8cf0.png)

**Further questions concerning meetings ? Have a look at the articles in our Help Center !**

[Access to the Help Center](https://help.wedo.swiss/en/collections/3202989-meetings)

The latest WEDO update offers more flexibility in organizing meetings! Discover the new available functionalities throughout this article.

2019-03-more-flexibility-to-manage-meeting

large_2019-03-more-flexibility-to-manage-meeting

medium_2019-03-more-flexibility-to-manage-meeting

small_2019-03-more-flexibility-to-manage-meeting

thumbnail_2019-03-more-flexibility-to-manage-meeting

More flexibility to manage meetings

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

large_1-how-to-limit-the-duration-of-a-meeting.png

medium_1-how-to-limit-the-duration-of-a-meeting.png

small_1-how-to-limit-the-duration-of-a-meeting.png

thumbnail_1-how-to-limit-the-duration-of-a-meeting.png

1-how-to-limit-the-duration-of-a-meeting.png

How to limit the duration of a meeting?

## Table of contents

The table of contents facilitates the browsing through the meeting minutes. Furthermore, a single click will bring you to the item to be treated. From the table of contents, you can also:

* Decrease the indentation of an item
* Increase the indentation of an item
* Delete an item
* Drag and drop the items and/or sub-items to organize them

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive1_c190e8d7b5.png)

## Item by item

For this new version, the drafting has been redesigned: from now on, only the item to be treated will appear on the screen. Once you are done with an item, you just need to click the button with the title of the next item to be treated to progress in the drafting. 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive2_2_d8f1773246.png)

## Redesigned Toolbar 

Each item and sub-item has its own Toolbar. From the **\+ button** you can:

* Attach a file
* Add a note
* Add a decision
* Create a task
* Add a sub-item to the meeting agenda
* Import tasks from the workspace

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive3_3_e41bc9c72a.png)

## The “move” button 

It is now possible to move a note, a decision, a task or a file to another item in the meeting agenda. Click the button with the **three vertical points** (1) and **Move the note** (2). A window will open with all the possible destinations. Click the item to which you wish to move your note (3). The same procedure applies to move a decision, a task or a file.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive4_3_7828884129.png)

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive5_1_68b88ca912.png)

## The pending tasks box 

Pending tasks from the workspace are now available in a box that you can access with a button. 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive6_8c12348415.png)

From the pending tasks box, it is possible to import tasks into a specific item: click the tasks to import (1) and, with the drop-down list, select the item in which you want to import the tasks (2). Then, click **Import** (3).

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive7_6e99b65c52.png)

_Info : if you would like your pending tasks to figure as an item in your meeting agenda, like in the previous version, you can simply create an item entitled “Pending tasks” and import all the pending tasks from the workspace._ 

## The 5 steps of the meeting

At all times, you can see which step of the meeting you are in. The user with all access rights can click on each step to change the status of the meeting.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive8_3f51cf7d39.png)

_Info : other buttons at the bottom of the page also allow you to switch from step to step._ 

## Display of access rights of each attendee

You can now click on the attendees of a meeting to see the distribution of access rights. Click on the attendees (1), a window will open with a list of the meeting attendees and their access rights for the current meeting (2). 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive14_c86280b5bd.png)

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive15_07a2d15e76.png)

This can be useful if you need to modify meeting minutes but you do not have the appropriate access rights. You can then spot the attendees who have full access rights on that meeting, who will be able to change your access rights. Attendees with full access rights are represented by a logo with a crown on a blue background. 

\-

A collection of articles explains all the ins and outs of the new Meetings module.

::button-primary[Access the Help Center]{link="https://help.wedo.swiss/en/collections/3202989-meetings"}

The new version of WEDO revises the meeting module to simplify the drafting of the meeting minutes. With this article, discover the improvements this update offers!

2019-01-meeting-module-improvements-that-will-facilitate-the-drafting-of-your-meeting-minutes

large_2019-01-meeting-module-improvements-that-will-facilitate-the-drafting-of-your-meeting-minutes

medium_2019-01-meeting-module-improvements-that-will-facilitate-the-drafting-of-your-meeting-minutes

small_2019-01-meeting-module-improvements-that-will-facilitate-the-drafting-of-your-meeting-minutes

thumbnail_2019-01-meeting-module-improvements-that-will-facilitate-the-drafting-of-your-meeting-minutes

Meeting module : improvements that will facilitate the drafting of your meeting minutes

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive2_1_1024x576_cf4842d494.png)

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive3_2_1024x576_793221b569.png)

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive4_2_1024x576_73fa30a3dd.png)

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_diapositive5_1024x576_e789c0d9f8.png)

Relive the year 2018 of WEDO through this retrospective and discover the new members of our team. 

large_2020-05-looking-back-on-2018

medium_2020-05-looking-back-on-2018

small_2020-05-looking-back-on-2018

thumbnail_2020-05-looking-back-on-2018

2020-05-looking-back-on-2018

Retrospective 2018

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_wedo_cofounders_1024x768_9876cf7c19.jpg)

> _Sick of long, unproductive meetings? Two Fribourgeois propose a digital solution, WEDO, to make them efficient. Explanations._

Between three and six weeks a year: that's the time we spend on average in work meetings, according to a survey published in 2017 by the Opinionway Institute for the business consultancy firm Empreinte Humaine. According to this survey of a thousand employees in companies of various sizes and in a variety of economic sectors, nearly one out of every two sessions is considered unproductive. More than 25% of the respondents do not see the need to participate. As a result, 44% of them discreetly use their smartphone to do something else during this time (typically reading and sending emails).

This scourge has a name: Meeting madness. Antoine Sudan and David Dutch suffered from it for several years after graduating from engineering school. "Meetings are not useless in themselves," they say at the outset. "The problem is that they are poorly prepared, the agenda is not respected and you come out of them far too often without being sure of what has been decided. Amazed at the time they spent on this commendable but frustrating exercise, Antoine Sudan and David Dutch developed the WEDO web application. That was in 2014\. Today, four years and thirty updates later, this web application is used by more than a hundred organisations, municipalities and companies in French-speaking Switzerland, including Groupe Mutuel, Groupe E Connect, HES-SO Fribourg and Banque Cantonale de Fribourg.

Neither blockchain, Dropbox, nor intranet, WEDO is a collaborative platform whose layout automatically adapts to the size of the screen you use (iPhone, PC...). It is in fact an interface with a common and participative space. Very didactic, it has been designed to be within everyone's reach. Regardless of its functionalities and technical qualities, the WEDO application is based on in-depth reflection and careful analysis of the factors that make working meetings so often disappointing and time-consuming. In other words, this organizational solution has been developed to respond directly and pragmatically to certain recurring problems. One example: the agenda often remains a little vague until everyone is gathered around the table. To avoid this, WEDO offers a feature that allows you to record and schedule the items to be discussed. Once this is done, simply open the application and follow the thread of questions. No more digressing, in short.

## EASY TO KNOW WHO'S DOING WHAT

The minutes are a chore? Thanks to WEDO, it is possible to write it live. "This is one of the interesting features of our meeting management module. You have an agenda, with a series of items to be discussed, and you can add under each item blocks of information, whether they are notes, decisions or tasks to be carried out," explains Antoine Sudan. Decisions made and tasks assigned during meetings can then be recorded by the minute writer at the time. Since this information is displayed in a specific place in the module and all participants have a personal access account, it is very easy to retrieve this information later. In short, at the end of the session, everyone knows where to find the answer to the famous "who does what" question.

In addition, it is possible to export an agenda or minutes by generating a PDF file so that it can be shared, printed and signed. You can also easily create extracts from minutes, or retrieve notes through the minutes using simple keywords. Gone are the days when you had to open multiple files to get your hands on information!

"The strength of WEDO is that it covers all phases of meeting management: before, with the preparation of the agenda, during, with the taking of important notes, and finally after, with the follow-up of tasks. Indeed, in addition to our module for meeting management, we have developed another one for task management and scheduling, and both interact with each other. Therefore, you have the means to ensure a continuous and dynamic follow-up of the work. This way, you can see at any time what has been done between sessions and what remains to be done. You no longer have to wait to obtain or pass on information, nor do you have to send several confirmation e-mails or call three times to find out how much a quote will cost," says David Dutch. In addition, each user can activate synchronisation with his electronic calendar (Outlook, Google Calendar...).

## MEETINGS SHORTENED BY ONE THIRD

It is also possible to create specific spaces for certain projects, departments or work teams, so that tasks can be distributed in one click. As soon as a job is indicated as completed, the participants concerned receive immediate and automatic feedback. "All of these processes greatly speed up the processing of decisions and shorten the duration of sessions by an average of one third," says Antoine Sudan.

Solving complicated problems with a simple software: that was the challenge of the creators of WEDO. The first person they told about it - a former professor - predicted that « it would never work ». Which makes them laugh a lot today. « Luckily, our engineering mentality soon got the better of us and we refused to let it get us down ». While many young entrepreneurs start by trying to raise funds, Antoine Sudan and David Dutch decide to develop their application while working and approach their first customers in parallel. They conduct more than 300 interviews for this purpose. Right from the start, they rely on user feedback to improve their product. The first version is officially released in May 2015\. A few prospects test it. « With each new release, we surveyed our customers to find out how we could improve WEDO. And we continue to solicit their opinions and feedback. For example, some of them recently commented that they would have liked to have been able to define specific access criteria, to avoid having participants pop up with irrelevant questions on the agenda. While a General Secretary should certainly be able to modify the agenda, this is not necessarily the case for any participant. So in the latest version of WEDO, we have introduced a new tool to set up access rights very finely ».

  
![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_01_wedo_montage_1024x525_23213decc1.png)
  
  
## START WITH A FREE TRIAL

What about the price? According to a common practice in applications, it depends on the number of users. It varies between 15 and 25 francs per person per month. WEDO is available in packs of five, ten or fifteen users; above twenty, packs are sold in increments of ten additional units. The subscription covers all updates, data hosting and support, i.e. all services with the exception of change management during the first year to maximise the chances of success, which is also calculated on the basis of a flat rate depending on the size of the network. 

"But what we always offer in the first place is a free presentation of WEDO. That's why you'll find a big blue button on the homepage of our website [www.wedo.com](/) that you can click on to schedule a demonstration by booking a date at your convenience directly in our calendar," say Antoine Sudan and David Dutch, who claim that the data will only be hosted on servers located in Switzerland.

Source: original article [Le Matin Dimanche](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/article_wedo_matin_dimanche_316cb86cf5.pdf)

Sick of long, unproductive meetings? Two Fribourgeois propose a digital solution, WEDO, to make them efficient. Explanations.

large_2020-05-en-le-matin-dimanche

medium_2020-05-en-le-matin-dimanche

small_2020-05-en-le-matin-dimanche

thumbnail_2020-05-en-le-matin-dimanche

2020-05-en-le-matin-dimanche

The cure for meeting madness is called WEDO

## Rights management

When you add a meeting, a new column named _Access_ will appear in the list of attendees:

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2018_10_diapositive3_1_e1540988841560_7892e6806d.png)

For each attendee, you can choose among 5 options:

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive2_1_7db5b841f2.png)

## 5 steps of a meeting

The five steps that structure the creation of a meeting have been improved and are as follows: 

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive3_1_24da19b2f6.png)

Please note that changing the status of a meeting (i.e. moving from a step to another) has an impact on who can edit what. For example: an attendee who has the right to modify and add agenda items will be able to do so until the meeting agenda is validated. Only an attendee with full access rights, represented by the logo with a crown on a blue background, can modify the status of the meeting. 

## Rights according to the step

Below is a table summarizing the accesses that allow to modify the elements according to the step in which the meeting is

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2019_03_diapositive4_1_37b3ec51c1.png)

## 5 steps of a meeting

In previous versions, when the meeting was ended the information and decisions could still be edited but not the tasks. This feature has been improved in the current version. All information can still be edited in step 4/5: _meeting minutes in review_ until the moment the meeting minutes will be locked in step 5/5.

## Save changes made to tasks 

The tasks can be updated in the meeting minutes as long as they are not locked, i.e. until step 4/5\. We recommend you to systematically lock the meeting minutes once they have been reviewed and approved. 

## Periodic report

We have added to this version a periodic report which will be sent to you by email. By default, you will receive a weekly report every Monday morning.

To modify this parameter and manage the frequency of the periodic report, go to your _User profile > Settings > Notifications > Periodic report._

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2018_10_diapositive4_1_e1540988863763_d82e3149cb.png)

## For you to discover in this new version

* New tile design for the workspaces, checklist templates, checklists and meetings.
* The tile menu has moved from the action bar directly on the tile itself to improve the user experience.
* Improvement of certain texts to clarify the interface (for instance, for the importation of a previous meeting agenda).
* Synchronization options with the calendar have been improved.

The new version of WEDO integrates various new features such as rights management during meetings.

large_2018-10-right-management-during-meetings

medium_2018-10-right-management-during-meetings

small_2018-10-right-management-during-meetings

thumbnail_2018-10-right-management-during-meetings

2018-10-right-management-during-meetings

Rights management during meetings

Antoine Sudan and David Dutch are two friends who created WEDO after discovering the joys of working and planning meetings. 

### 

![PME Magazine](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/wp_content_uploads_2018_09_diapositive30_25efb9625e.png)

> This start-up company from Fribourg created a software designed to optimize work organization and meetings. About forty big companies are customers, among which the Groupe Mutuel. 

Before being associates, Antoine Sudan and David Dutch were two teenagers living in the Broye region and taking the train together to go to school. They dreamed of creating their own company together but they needed some work experience, so they both started to work once they got their engineering degree.

They soon discovered the surprises and disillusions of corporate life. “Collaboration was not as easy as expected, especially during meetings”, explains Antoine. “We were often missing answers and solutions to simple questions such as ‘who takes care of what’, ‘how’ and ‘for when’, regardless all the e-mails we were receiving”. Therefore, the two friends had an idea: develop a collaborative task manager to simplify work progress. They started to work on their project from of 2014.

What differentiates them from others is that no funds were raised for their project: they developed their software on their own while they were still working. Furthermore, to optimize their product, they contacted their potential customers and questioned them to have a clear idea on their needs and point of view. They conducted more than 300 interviews to develop their tool in the best possible way. The first version of the software was launched in May 2015 and was first tested with a few of their sales leads who were curious to discover its functionalities.

Their software is thus an organizational solution. It is a common and collaborative space to which everyone has access and can follow the work progress in real-time. Hence, people know exactly who is in charge of what and for when it is due. No need to make several calls or to send amounts of e-mails to give a feed-back on a project. The interface is made in a didactic manner and is within everyone’s reach. The price varies according to the number of users and is between 15 and 25 Swiss francs per month and per user. Hence, the software allows to manage meetings, tasks and check-lists at reasonable cost.

## Work progress in real-time

Nearly three years after the first launch of the software, the contractors, who are today 31 and 32 years old, have proved successful. More than 40 health facilities are among their customers, and other companies such as Groupe Mutuel. Christian Lalain, member of the IT department of the insurance company, first discovered WEDO when he was the municipal councilor of Saillon. “I wanted to find a solution to the traditional paper files on which we would stick a post-it note with essential information or updates, which would eventually end up being lost or worn down. For that reason, I installed WEDO on the municipality’s computers last year. It’s great: everyone is working on the same tool and the different working spaces structure all activity. If a person calls to make an appointment with a particular person or for an information, the person at reception can create a task and assign it to the corresponding person, who will receive a notification. She will then know exactly what to do or what to answer if the person calls back. The software thus improved communication and interaction not only among collaborators, but also with our citizens. It definitely improved the quality and efficiency of our service and increased our team spirit”. 

## Servers in Switzerland

Given the positive results observed in Saillon, Christian Lalain suggested his employer at the Groupe Mutuel to use this tool. Groupe Mutuel previously used another tool called Wunderlist, purchased by Microsoft. The start-up company from Fribourg is proud of its success and is still growing surely but slowly. “Once our first client signed, there was a second, and a third…” recalls David Dutch. “We first reduced our working time, then we became self-employed. We are now established as a LLC and our office is based in Fribourg. And we are hiring! We are planning on hiring two new collaborators this year”. The two associates started off by looking for customers before going to fairs. In Switzerland, there are very few competitors. As their servers are based in Switzerland, they can claim their 100% swiss origin, a key argument for customers who fear data theft. 

\-

Source: [Original article from PME Magazine](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/article_wedo_pmemagazine_2018_06_8bc9187094.pdf)

This start-up company from Fribourg created a software designed to optimize work organization and meetings. About forty big companies are customers, among which the Groupe Mutuel. 

large_2018-09-en-pme-magazine-1

medium_2018-09-en-pme-magazine-1

small_2018-09-en-pme-magazine-1

thumbnail_2018-09-en-pme-magazine-1

2018-09-en-pme-magazine-1

WEDO’s great success

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

If your meetings are dragging or worse, ending with more confusion than clarity, the problem probably started before anyone joined the call. Most teams don’t struggle with talking. They struggle with focus. And that starts with how you plan the meeting.

An effective meeting agenda is what keeps the conversation on track, the goals in sight, and the meeting time under control. Without it, you’re relying on memory, improvisation, and hope.

In this post, we’re breaking down how to create an agenda that works. Not one that just fills space, but one that drives outcomes. You’ll learn how to define your purpose, choose the right amount of time, structure discussion points, and set your team up for real progress.

## What Is a Meeting Agenda, Really?

Before we move forward, let’s clarify what the meeting agenda even is. A meeting agenda outlines what you’re going to talk about, in what order, and how much time you’ll spend on each topic. But more than that, it’s a tool for making meetings intentional.

At its best, a meeting agenda does three things:

- **Clarifies the purpose** of the meeting
- **Guides the discussion** so people stay on topic
- **Keeps the meeting time in check**

It also gives everyone a chance to prepare, so you're not spending half the call just getting people up to speed. Whether it’s two bullet points or a fully structured outline, a meeting agenda should help your team move forward, not just fill the hour.

![Infographic titled “What to Include in a Productive Meeting Agenda.” Lists six elements: purpose, items with outcomes, time estimates, item owners, facilitator role, and prep/documents.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/what_to_include_in_a_productive_meeting_agenda_en_0a88ad8f42.png)

## Define the Purpose Before You Write a Word

No agenda should start with “what should we talk about?” It should start with why you’re meeting in the first place.

That purpose is the anchor. It’s what helps you decide who to invite, what to include, and how to guide the discussion. A vague goal like “check in on progress” doesn’t give anyone a reason to show up prepared. A clear purpose like “agree on final pricing structure for Q3 launch” tells everyone what the finish line looks like.

If you can’t define the goal, don’t create the agenda, cancel the meeting. That’s not a failure. It’s a time-saving win. So before you even think about listing topics, write down the outcome you’re aiming for. Then build everything else around it.

## Align the Agenda with the Meeting Type

Not every meeting needs a ten-point plan. Some need structure. Others need space. The key is knowing the difference.

Before you create an agenda, take a step back and ask: **What kind of meeting is this?**

A quick check-in? A decision-making session? A team-wide deep dive? Each of these requires a different level of detail, pacing, and time commitment. Cramming the same structure into every format is how short meetings turn long, and long meetings turn painful.

For example:

- **One-on-ones** work best with a few open-ended prompts and room for discussion.
- **Project reviews** need clearly defined talking points and time frames.
- **Brainstorming sessions** should include guardrails but leave flexibility for idea flow.
- **Decision-focused meetings** benefit from a tight agenda that outlines key questions, owners, and expectations.

A productive meeting agenda doesn’t just list topics, but matches the format to the purpose and fits within a realistic amount of time. If the structure doesn’t support the outcome, the meeting won’t either.

## Break Down Topics into Actionable Segments

A list of discussion topics isn’t a meeting agenda. Not a useful one, anyway.

If you want your meetings to stay focused and lead to real outcomes, each item on the agenda needs to be actionable. That means going beyond labels like “budget,” “product update,” or “customer feedback.” Those are categories, not direction.

Start by reworking broad topics into clear, outcome-driven prompts. For example:

- Instead of **“budget,”** write **“Finalize Q3 campaign allocations”**
- Instead of **“product update,”** use **“Decide whether feature X is ready for rollout”**
- Instead of **“customer feedback,”** try **“Identify top 3 issues from support tickets to prioritize next sprint”**

This shift does two things:

1. It gives participants a clear sense of what they’re expected to weigh in on.
2. It makes it easier to tell when the discussion is finished, because there’s a decision, answer, or action coming out of it.

Framing your agenda around prompts like “What do we need to decide?” or “What’s blocking us from moving forward?” turns your meeting into a working session, not a wandering conversation. And if a topic doesn’t have a clear outcome? It probably doesn’t belong on the agenda. At least not this time.

A good rule of thumb: If you’re adding an item to the meeting agenda, ask yourself what needs to happen as a result of talking about it. If there’s no clear answer, it might not belong in the meeting.

## Estimate Time Frames Thoughtfully

Time is one of the easiest things to mismanage in a meeting and one of the hardest to get back once it's gone. That’s why assigning time frames to each agenda item matters.

You don’t need to calculate down to the minute, but every agenda should include a realistic estimate of how long each item will take. This keeps the conversation moving and helps prevent less important topics from eating up the entire meeting.

Start with a rough total: How much meeting time do you actually have? Then, break it down by priority. High-impact items, like key decisions or blockers, should go earlier in the agenda and be given enough breathing room. Informational updates or less urgent items can come later and be time-boxed more tightly.

For example:

- 5 minutes: Quick status update
- 20 minutes: Discuss launch blockers and assign owners
- 10 minutes: Align on messaging changes for the sales deck
- 5 minutes: Review next steps and assign action items

It’s also smart to build in a small buffer at the end. That way, if a discussion runs long, you don’t lose the final five minutes that should’ve gone to confirming who’s doing what. Being deliberate about time shows respect for your team’s schedule and forces you to clarify priorities, which leads to [more productive meetings](https://wedo.com/features/meetings), even when time is short.

## Assign Roles and Owners Before the Meeting Starts

Every agenda item should have a clear owner. This doesn’t mean one person has to do all the talking, but someone should be responsible for introducing the topic, sharing any necessary context, and guiding that part of the discussion. Without ownership, conversations tend to stall or drift.

Clarify this before the meeting begins:

- Who’s leading each topic?
- Who’s taking notes?
- Who’s responsible for capturing action items and decisions?

Assigning roles doesn’t need to be complicated. In small, recurring meetings, it may be the same person every time. In larger or cross-functional sessions, it helps to rotate responsibilities or assign based on who brings the most context.

You’ll also want to identify a facilitator. Their job is to keep the agenda on track, manage the flow of conversation, and step in if time runs over or discussion gets stuck. In some cases, this will be the meeting organizer. In others, it may be a neutral lead who can keep things focused.

When people know what they’re responsible for going in, they show up prepared and your meeting runs smoother from the first minute.

## Share the Agenda Early and Revisit It Live

Once the agenda is built, don’t keep it to yourself. The earlier your team sees it, the more effective the meeting will be.

Circulating the agenda ahead of time, ideally the day before, gives participants space to review what’s on the table and prepare accordingly. It also opens the door for feedback. Someone might catch a missing item, suggest a better order, or offer input that helps sharpen the discussion points before the clock starts ticking.

Sharing the agenda in advance sets expectations. It tells your team: here’s what we’re here to do, and here’s how we’re going to use our time. No one should be hearing the meeting’s purpose for the first time when the call begins.

Once the meeting starts, revisit the agenda briefly. Ask:

- Does this plan still make sense?
- Are there any last-minute changes that need to be acknowledged or reprioritized?

Even a quick check-in helps anchor the group before diving in. And if something comes up mid-meeting that wasn’t on the agenda? Note it, park it, and keep the meeting focused on what matters now. You can always address new issues at the end or in a follow-up.

The agenda doesn’t just guide the meeting, it helps protect it. From distraction. From drift. From wasted time.

## Use the Agenda to Drive Follow-Through

The meeting might end, but the work rarely does. That’s why your agenda should do more than guide the conversation, it should support what happens next.

As the meeting unfolds, capture notes directly within the agenda itself. Add action items beneath each section, tag owners, and clarify deadlines while the details are still fresh. If you’re using a tool like [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features), this can happen in real time, no need to create a separate recap after the fact.

It also helps reduce duplication. Instead of rewriting what was discussed into a new doc or follow-up email, the agenda becomes the single source of truth. Everyone knows where to find the context, the decisions, and what they’re responsible for.

And when the next meeting rolls around? You’ve got a record to refer back to and a head start on planning the next agenda.

![nfographic titled “The Agenda Lifecycle.” Shows seven steps from planning to follow-through: define the goal, match structure to meeting type, assign time and owners, share early, use it live, track actions, and continue next meeting.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/the_agenda_lifecycle_en_e5a828bf8f.png)

## How WEDO Helps You Build Better Agendas

Everything in this guide becomes easier and more consistent when you use the right tool.

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) is built for teams who want to stop repeating conversations and start making real progress. With WEDO, you can plan, structure, and manage your meeting agenda all in one place, before, during, and after the call.

Here’s how it helps:

- **Create and share agendas fast** using a [collaborative workspace](https://wedo.com/blog/why-collaborative-task-management-is-key-to-team-productivity) that’s linked to each meeting
- **Assign owners and time frames** to every item, so responsibilities are clear and the meeting stays focused
- **Take notes in real time** directly inside the agenda view, no switching between tabs or apps
- **Track decisions and action items** as they happen, and carry them forward to the next meeting
- **Revisit agendas and outcomes** easily, with everything stored and searchable in one shared timeline

No more scattered notes, lost follow-ups, or guessing what happened last time. WEDO makes it easy to build habits around structured, productive meetings, and to keep your team aligned every step of the way.

Ready to see it in action? [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) helps you turn better planning into better outcomes. [Try it out for free](https://wedo.com/signup) and see how much time and momentum you can save.

Learn how to create a productive meeting agenda that keeps discussions focused, decisions clear, and meeting time under control.

“How to Create a Productive Meeting Agenda.” Pink background with a blue icon showing a paper and pencil.

large_37-how-to-create-a-productive-meeting-agenda.png

medium_37-how-to-create-a-productive-meeting-agenda.png

small_37-how-to-create-a-productive-meeting-agenda.png

thumbnail_37-how-to-create-a-productive-meeting-agenda.png

37-how-to-create-a-productive-meeting-agenda.png

How to Create a Productive Meeting Agenda

We’ve all been in meetings that felt productive, until no one could remember exactly what was decided. Tasks get repeated. Deadlines drift. And the one person who thought they were supposed to follow up? Turns out it wasn’t them.

And that’s exactly why you need meeting minutes.

Far from being a boring formality, well-written meeting minutes are what turn conversation into action. They document what was discussed and decided, who’s responsible for what, and when things need to happen. Whether you’re meeting with a project team or sitting on a board of directors, minutes provide a clear, easy-to-read written record that keeps everyone aligned and accountable.

Minutes can also serve as an official record, especially important in formal settings like board meetings, where decisions can have legal and financial consequences. But even in more casual team syncs, effective minutes ensure the key points don’t get lost in the shuffle once the meeting ends.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through every step of the process, from preparing to take notes in real time, to writing and distributing meeting minutes with clarity and confidence. We’ll share what good minutes look like, how to stay consistent with or without a template, and how platforms like [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) make the process smoother for everyone involved.

## What Are Meeting Minutes, Exactly?

Let’s clear something up right away: meeting minutes aren’t a transcript. You don’t need to capture every word said in the room. Instead, they’re a focused, structured summary of what actually matters: key points discussed, decisions made, and any action items that need to move forward.

At their core, meeting minutes are a written record of what happened and what was agreed upon. They help teams stay aligned, avoid rehashing the same conversations, and keep projects moving in the right direction. For leadership teams and board members, they’re also a way to maintain transparency and ensure that decisions are traceable over time.

In formal settings like board of directors meetings, meeting minutes serve as an official record of how the organization is governed. That means accuracy, structure, and neutrality matter. Following a process like Robert’s Rules of Order can help ensure consistency and fairness, especially when voting or making formal motions.

That said, even the most informal stand-up or team huddle benefits from some form of minute-taking. Whether you call them meeting notes, recaps, or follow-ups, the goal is the same: to make sure everyone leaves with the same understanding of what happened, and what needs to happen next.

Here’s what you’ll typically find in a solid set of meeting minutes:

- The date, time, and location of the meeting
- A list of attendees and any absentees
- A reference to the [meeting agenda](https://wedo.com/features/meetings)
- A summary of key points and discussion topics
- Noted decisions, votes, or outcomes
- Any assigned action items and due dates
- The time the meeting was adjourned

No matter the format or formality, good minutes help ensure nothing slips through the cracks, especially when the next meeting rolls around and you need to build on what came before.

![Infographic titled “How to Write and Share Effective Meeting Minutes” showing three stages: before the meeting (confirm agenda and attendees, assign minute taker, prepare template), during the meeting (capture key points and responsibilities), and after the meeting (format, check, and share minutes).](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/how_to_write_effective_meeting_minutes_en_ae14f6d476.png)

## Before the Meeting: Set the Stage for Strong Minutes

Great minutes don’t start when the meeting begins. They start with preparation.

Before anyone sits down (or logs in), there are a few key things you can do to make writing meeting minutes smoother, faster, and more accurate, especially if you’re the minute taker.

### Start with a Clear Meeting Agenda

Think of the meeting agenda as your outline. It tells you what topics will be covered, in what order, and often who’s leading each item. Not only does this help participants stay on track, but it gives the minute taker a framework for capturing notes in real time. Each agenda item becomes a section in your minutes, making the final document much easier to organize.

If no agenda has been shared in advance, ask for one. Or, if needed, create a basic version yourself based on the meeting’s purpose. Even a simple bulleted list can help.

### Confirm the Date, Time, and Location

It sounds obvious, but meeting minutes that skip the basics like date, time, and location can lose their context fast. Whether it’s a recurring sync or a once-a-year strategy session, make sure you record these details accurately. If the meeting is remote or hybrid, include the platform used (Zoom, Teams, etc.) as part of the location.

### Know Who’s in the Room

Before the meeting starts, prepare your list of attendees and note anyone who’s expected but absent. You’ll need this information later when writing the minutes and it’s much easier to track in real time than to guess after the fact. For formal sessions like minutes at a board meeting, getting this list right is especially important.

### Assign a Minute Taker (and Make It Official)

If it’s your job to take minutes, be clear on your role. If it’s someone else’s job, make sure they’re ready. The minute taker should be prepared to listen actively, capture relevant details without distraction, and stay objective.

In more structured environments, like corporate boards or nonprofit governance meetings, assigning a designated recorder or secretary ahead of time is common practice and often required by procedure or bylaws.

### Brush Up on Robert’s Rules if Needed

If the meeting follows [Robert’s Rules of Order](https://robertsrules.com/), reviewing the basic motions, formats, and terminology will help you capture minutes that reflect what actually happened, not just what was said. While not every organization uses these rules, knowing how they work will make you a stronger and more confident minute taker.

## During the Meeting: What to Capture and How

When the meeting kicks off, so does your job as the minute taker. Your goal is to capture the key points, discussions, and decisions that reflect what actually happened, not how it was said. The trick is to stay focused, organized, and ready to write in real time.

### Stick to the Facts, Not the Dialogue

Good meeting minutes summarize the essentials:

- What was discussed
- What was decided
- What actions were assigned
- Who’s responsible
- And when the meeting was adjourned

Skip small talk, side conversations, and personal commentary. Your goal is a clean, easy-to-read record that helps the team move forward, not a play-by-play transcript.

### Follow the Agenda to Stay on Track

Use the meeting agenda as your framework. As each item comes up, create a section in your notes. Even if the meeting strays off course (as they often do), organizing your notes by agenda topic will help you bring clarity to the final minutes later on.

### Capture Key Decisions and Action Items Clearly

If a decision is made, note it. If someone is assigned a task, write down who it is and what the expected outcome or deadline is. These are the moments that make meeting minutes important, because they turn discussion into accountability.

Examples:

- “The team voted to approve the Q3 marketing budget.”
- “Lena will draft the onboarding checklist by June 5.”
- “IT will explore new access control tools before the next meeting.”

These are the kinds of lines your teammates will search for later. Make them easy to find.

### Track Motions, Votes, and Formal Items Accurately

If you’re recording minutes at a board meeting or any session that follows Robert’s Rules of Order, be extra precise. Record motions as they were stated, note who made and seconded them, and include the vote outcome (unanimous, majority, abstentions, etc.).

This is where your minutes become a binding official record, not just a helpful summary.

### Write While It’s Fresh in Your Mind

Whenever possible, write as you go or immediately after. Waiting too long makes it easy to forget small but important details. If you're juggling a complex discussion, jot down shorthand or timestamps and come back to clarify later while it’s still fresh.

You can also use collaborative platforms like WEDO to track and organize notes in real time, tag action items, and mark who said what, without slowing down the meeting itself.

## After the Meeting: Writing and Formatting the Minutes

Once the meeting wraps, the real work begins: turning your notes into a clear, structured, and shareable written record. This is where your role as the minute taker shifts from listener to editor. The goal: make the minutes useful for anyone who was there or anyone who wasn’t.

### Start with the Basics

Every set of meeting minutes should begin with the essentials, such as date, time, type of meeting, attendees, a reference to the meeting agenda or its main topics and the name of the person taking the minutes

This information grounds your minutes and provides clarity for anyone reviewing them later, especially important for compliance, audits, or recordkeeping.

### Keep It Clear, Concise, and Neutral

Write in a tone that’s professional but straightforward. Your job is to document, not interpret. Stick to the key points and decisions, and avoid unnecessary details or side remarks. Use past tense, avoid first-person language, and keep the structure consistent.

For example:

- ✅ “The board approved the updated financial policy.”
- ❌ “I thought the policy was really smart and everyone seemed to like it.”

Let the facts speak for themselves.

### Highlight Decisions and Action Items

This is what most people are scanning the minutes for: what was discussed, what was decided, and who’s responsible for what. Use formatting (bolding or bullet points) to make these stand out. The more scannable the document, the more useful it becomes.

Consider separating action items at the bottom of each agenda section or collecting them in a final summary section at the end of the minutes.

### Use Templates to Save Time and Stay Consistent

Even if your organization doesn’t have a formal format, a solid meeting minutes template can make the whole process faster and more consistent. It reduces guesswork, ensures you don’t miss required sections, and keeps your minutes easy to read.

Most templates include:

- Headers for each agenda item
- A dedicated field for decisions or votes
- Space for action items and deadlines
- A final note on when the meeting was adjourned

Using a digital platform like WEDO allows you to build reusable templates and streamline your minute-taking process in real time, so you’re not starting from scratch every time.

### Double-Check for Accuracy

Before sending anything out, take a moment to verify names, decisions, and dates. If a vote took place, make sure the count is correct. If someone committed to a deliverable, make sure it’s recorded under their name, not someone else’s. These small errors can lead to big confusion later.

## Sharing and Storing Minutes the Right Way

Once your meeting minutes are written, don’t let them sit in your drafts folder. The sooner they’re shared, the more useful they are, especially when details are still fresh in your mind and action items are time-sensitive.

![Infographic titled “Sharing and Storing Meeting Minutes the Right Way” with key tips such as using a clean, scannable format, making them easy to access, sending within 24–48 hours, sharing with the right people, and storing securely.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/sharing_and_storing_meeting_minutes_the_right_way_en_598dc52b30.png)

### Send Minutes Promptly After the Meeting

Aim to distribute meeting minutes within 24 hours, or 48 at most. Timely sharing helps maintain momentum, reinforces accountability, and allows attendees to catch any errors or misunderstandings early.

If your minutes include pending approvals or corrections (common in board meetings), make that clear when you send them out.

Sample note:

*“Attached are the draft minutes from the May 10 meeting. Please review and reply with any edits or additions by Friday at 5 PM.”*

### Make It Easy to Access and Read

No one wants to dig through long email threads to find the latest version. Use a clear subject line, share minutes in a familiar format (PDF, Google Doc, or a WEDO-linked doc), and make sure the structure is easy to read, especially the key points, decisions, and assigned action items.

In tools like WEDO, you can take minutes in real time and publish them directly to a shared workspace, where teams can view, comment, and follow up without delay.

### Share with the Right People

Who needs to receive the minutes depends on the type of meeting:

- For a team sync: Just the attendees and relevant stakeholders
- For a project update: Add any external collaborators or managers
- For minutes at a board meeting: Include all board members, the executive team, legal counsel (if applicable), and anyone responsible for follow-up

Check your organization’s policy to see whether minutes need to be formally approved before wider distribution.

### Store Them Somewhere Secure (and Searchable)

Once shared, meeting minutes become part of your organization’s knowledge base. Treat them like any other official record: keep them organized, version-controlled, and backed up.

Cloud-based systems, including WEDO allow you to tag, search, and link minutes to specific projects, making it easier to find what and when was said down the road. That kind of traceability is especially useful when reviewing past decisions or resolving disputes.

## How WEDO Helps You Write and Distribute Better Meeting Minutes

Writing and sharing effective meeting minutes doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right structure and the right tools it becomes a seamless part of how your team works.

[WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) is designed to make that process easier from start to finish. Instead of scrambling between emails, documents, and post-it notes, you can plan your meeting with a shared agenda, assign roles in advance, and take notes in real time, right where the conversation is happening.

Once the meeting wraps, your notes are already structured and ready to go. You can publish a clean, easy-to-read summary, notify the right people, and keep tasks moving, all from a single platform. And because everything is stored securely and searchable by topic, project, or participant, you’ll never have to dig through old files or threads to find out what was decided.

Whether you’re capturing an informal team huddle or formal minutes at a board meeting, [WEDO](https://wedo.com/features) helps you stay consistent, compliant, and organized. [Try it for free](https://wedo.com/signup) for your next meeting and see how easy it can be to turn discussions into decisions, and decisions into action.

Learn how to write and share effective meeting minutes, from real-time note-taking to final distribution, with tips, templates, and tools from WEDO.

“The Complete Guide to Writing and Sharing Effective Meeting Minutes.” Purple background with a blue icon showing a laptop and a document.

large_38-the-complete-guide-to-writing-and-sharing-effective-meeting-minutes.png

medium_38-the-complete-guide-to-writing-and-sharing-effective-meeting-minutes.png

small_38-the-complete-guide-to-writing-and-sharing-effective-meeting-minutes.png

thumbnail_38-the-complete-guide-to-writing-and-sharing-effective-meeting-minutes.png

38-the-complete-guide-to-writing-and-sharing-effective-meeting-minutes.png

The Complete Guide to Writing and Sharing Effective Meeting Minutes

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.

::button-primary[Try WEDO for free]{link="/signup"}

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

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”

large_1-making-daily-life-easier-for-executive-assistants.png

medium_1-making-daily-life-easier-for-executive-assistants.png

small_1-making-daily-life-easier-for-executive-assistants.png

thumbnail_1-making-daily-life-easier-for-executive-assistants.png

1-making-daily-life-easier-for-executive-assistants.png

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.

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

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”

Collaborate

Ready to dive in?Start your free trial today.