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?

## 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!

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

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

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Retrospective 2018

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> _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.

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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.

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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. 

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WEDO’s great success

Thanks to Fri Up for this video portrait and for the support brought to our startup.

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Portrait of WEDO by Fri Up

> Antoine Sudan is a graduate engineer in project management. In 2014, while working in a company, the Staviacois finds that managing team tasks without the right tools can be chaotic in the face of a growing mass of information. He therefore decided to team up with a friend to develop an application capable of coordinating work in a company in a simple and efficient way.

"This will never work. That was the verdict of the first person to whom we presented our project three years ago. He was a former professor. He said it' s impossible to solve complicated problems with simple software. But that's exactly what my friend and I had in mind.

Fortunately, our engineer mentality quickly took over. What's the point of letting ourselves be beaten down by criticism?

It is best to get as much out of it as possible to find the right solution. In order to establish the chances of success of our application, we went to present it to several potential customers. Get out of the building, a rather difficult exercise for me. Indeed, the prospecting made me nervous at first. It's hard to get out of your comfort zone and present a growing idea to a business owner. In the end, it was by acting that I gained confidence. Our project became clearer as the meetings went on and I gradually set aside my doubts. My friend and I had a lot of questions and it was often our contacts who gave us the right answers.

Our tenacity seems to have paid off. WEDO is currently used by around 40 clients, including the Fribourg Cantonal Bank. My friend and I can live off the income from our business and therefore dedicate ourselves entirely to its development. One thing is certain: overtime will continue to accumulate! This is a new challenge that we have to face. When you're self-employed, you also have to know how to stop for a moment and look back to savour what you've accomplished. The bottle of champagne has been chilled for a long time. I hope that we will soon find the time to open it. »

> Our tenacity seems to have paid off

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2017_09_image_001_9c6997c758.png)

**Antoine Sudan**co-founder of WEDO Sàrl

Photo: © Kevin Schlüter ([Fri Up](http://www.friup.ch/maps/fri-up/)) / Source: 
[Original Interface article](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/article_wedo_interface_2017_09_d56ea6676a.pdf)

An article on WEDO published in l'Interface de la Fédération Patronale et Économique (September 2017).

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The interface (Business and Economic Federation)

The EMS d'Humilimont is located in a magnificent setting surrounded by greenery and forest with a splendid view of the Fribourg Pre-Alps. We welcome 33 residents for long-term care. Some 50 employees accompany the residents.

## Why did you opt for WEDO?

We were looking for a tool to delegate and track tasks. Outlook did not allow us to obtain the desired traceability. WEDO gives us a global vision of the pending tasks.

## How do you use WEDO to organize your work? Can you give us a concrete example?

We have put together several checklists that allow us to easily follow our internal processes: welcoming residents, welcoming staff, scheduling RAI assessments, updating documents, annual party, etc.

On the other hand, we use WEDO to centralize repair orders for building maintenance. Transport planning, purchasing and vehicle reservations are also carried out on the platform.

## What was the reaction of your employees when you integrated WEDO into your company?

Organizational change inevitably leads to resistance. We have therefore trained the various employees in order to help them understand this new tool.

The hesitation of managers to acquire a new tool has gradually disappeared. Today, we could no longer do without WEDO.

## How has the collaborative tool changed the way you communicate?

As far as communication is concerned, it's fantastic! Thanks to WEDO, we forget less. The collaborative tool makes it possible to centralise the information circulating in the company in order to facilitate access to the various employees.

We have kept the oral communication but thanks to the fast typing, we systematically leave a written trace of our discussions.

## What is your favorite feature in the application?

For some, task management that allows you not to forget anything and to organize yourself with a global vision. For others, the checklists that allow a control of the processes and guarantee a perfect traceability.

## How has WEDO changed the way you work as a team?

The trust placed in individual employees does not exclude the need to monitor the progress of outstanding tasks. WEDO allows us to be more precise in our approach to teamwork. Thanks to WEDO, we have become more demanding in the follow-up of actions and this without any additional effort. We write down the tasks to be done and take the time to organize them when we have a moment.

## Who would you recommend our application to?

We recommend WEDO to any company that wants to improve its communication. In fact, whenever we have the opportunity, we recommend WEDO to anyone who might be interested.

Myriam Fragnière Dufour, director of Humilimont's EMS: "WEDO allows us to centralize the information circulating in the company to facilitate access to the various employees."

Testimonial from Myriam Fragnière-Dufour, Director at EMS Humilimont, asserting that WEDO enables them to be sharper in their approach to teamwork

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Humilimont's EMS works with WEDO

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.

::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”

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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”

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