In today's professional world, meetings are inevitable. In particular, they are essential for planning, decision-making and monitoring projects. According to a recent WEDO survey, the biggest challenge for many professionals is **the follow-up on post-meeting actions.**

This article aims to provide you with practical advice on how to overcome this challenge and maximise the effectiveness of post-meeting follow-up.

Here are 6 concrete actions that you can apply to your follow-up:
1. **Clear assignment of tasks**: during the meeting, clearly assign responsibilities. Each action should be assigned to a specific person with a clear date. At the end of the meeting, recheck the tasks assigned and complete them if necessary.
2. **Use meeting/project management tools**: integrate tools such as WEDO to track the progress of tasks from one meeting to the next. These platforms provide a clear view of the actions to be taken and their progress.
3. **Meeting summaries**: send a meeting summary to all participants, including a list of actions to be taken, who is responsible for each task and the related deadlines.
4. **Plan follow-up points**: schedule follow-up meetings to review progress. At the start of these meetings, review any outstanding tasks. These regular updates help to maintain momentum and adjust plans if necessary.
5. **Open communication**: encourage regular communication between teams. This helps to resolve issues quickly and share updates on ongoing tasks.
6. **Recognition and feedback**: value successes and give feedback on completed actions. This strengthens the team's motivation and commitment.

For these strategies to be effective, it is essential to establish a culture of responsibility and transparency within your team. Encouraging each member to take ownership of their tasks and to communicate openly about progress contributes greatly to the overall effectiveness of monitoring. Similarly, it's important to remain flexible and adapt to changing circumstances, while keeping an eye on the final objectives. By implementing these practices, you will not only see an improvement in the follow-up of actions, but also a strengthening of the cohesion and dynamics of your team.

Post-meeting action tracking doesn't have to be a source of stress. By adopting these strategies, you can turn this challenge into an opportunity to improve the productivity and effectiveness of your meetings and your team.

In the professional environment, meetings play a key role in planning and decision-making. However, the follow-up of post-meeting actions represents a major obstacle for many people. Faced with this challenge, this article proposes concrete strategies for improving the effectiveness of follow-up.

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Follow-up on post-meeting actions

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.

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Topics for bilateral meetings

Brainstorming sessions are often the crucible of creativity, innovative ideas and free expression. Whether around a meeting table or online, these dynamic meetings can take meandering paths, exploring an impressive array of ideas often represented by multicolored sticky notes or diagrams drawn on a whiteboard. However, in the midst of all this excitement, it's essential not to lose sight of the original objective: to generate ideas, productive discussions and, above all, informed decisions.

This is where the need to synthesize and record all those ideas comes in the nightmare of every brainstorming report writer. In this article, we'll explore the art of writing a brainstorming report, a document that captures the outcomes of these dynamic meetings. We'll look at how to turn the constructive chaos of brainstorming into a simple, clear and actionable written report for the future.

### Step 1: Preparing for the meeting

**1. Prepare in advance:** 
Familiarize yourself with the subject of the brainstorming session and make sure you have the tools you need to take notes. For greater speed and flexibility, consider using brainstorming tools for writing like WEDO.

**2. Prepare the brainstorming agenda:** 
At this stage, the agenda will mention only the general points on which the group should reflect and come up with innovative or creative ideas. These concepts should be kept broad, to leave the door wide open for creativity. In WEDO, these broad concepts are referred to as sections, which will then be broken down by participants' ideas into themes. This pre-defined agenda provides a framework for brainstorming.

**3. Identify roles**: 
If possible, appoint a moderator and a scribe. The moderator, often standing, facilitates discussion, illustrates and notes ideas on a board or sticky notes, and encourages participants to express themselves. The scribe transcribes and synthesizes the information into a report. When visual brainstorming, the script may need to regularly take photos of the discussion board to make sure no information is missed.

### Step 2: Note-taking during the brainstorming session

**1. List ideas:** 
Create a structured list of all the ideas generated during the meeting. WEDO lets you list each idea in themes for a clear structure. Take note of all ideas, even those that seem far-fetched or off-topic. Use key words, short phrases, photos or diagrams to record information quickly. 
    
![animer un brainstorming](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Brainstorming_Od_J_EN_f618169554.png)
    

**2. Record key discussions:** 
Take note of participants' points of view, debates and important discussions. This will help give context to the ideas generated.

**3. Encourage brainstorming decision making :** Whenever a decision is made, be sure to record it in your report, along with the reasons for it. With WEDO, you can formalize decision-making with the voting module, enabling you to come to a decision transparently and fairly.

![brainstorming output with the voting feature](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Brainstorming_Od_J_EN_1_1_5fea3e77db.png)

### **Step 3: Reorganize ideas and information**

It's hard to maintain a logical flow of ideas when brainstorming. Once the brainstorming session is over, it's time to organize the information gathered.

**1. Restructure the list of ideas if necessary:** 
Take the time to reorganize and group similar ideas into the right themes to define the common thread of your report.

**2. Summarize discussions:** 
Scan your notes to identify the most relevant or influential discussions. Summarize them concisely. Don't hesitate to use colors or emojis to structure your paragraphs or categorize ideas.

![synthèse de brainstorming en ligne](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Brainstorming_lister_idees_EN_76019bb7e2.png)

**3. Highlight decisions:** 
Highlight all decisions made during the brainstorming session. In WEDO, you can decide on a decision so that it becomes official and is highlighted in your report.

### Step 4: Write the brainstorming report

Now that you've organized the information, it's time to write the report itself:

**1. Introduction:** 
Start with a brief introduction explaining the purpose of the brainstorming session, the date, the participants and the context.

**2. List of ideas:** 
Present the list of ideas generated during the brainstorming session in the form of sections and themes.

**3. Conclusions and decisions:** 
Decisions can be listed in each theme, but they can also all be duplicated and added to a special theme, summarizing all the decisions made during the meeting. This summary will delight those who need a quick overview of the meeting's outcomes.

![Synthèse des décisions](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Brainstorming_Od_J_EN_2_2745b387be.png)

**4. Action plan:** 
End the report with an action plan. Outline the next steps to be taken, the actions to be taken and the people responsible for implementing them. In a WEDO report, you can create tasks directly in the report. The task will include a description, a deadline, a responsible person and an observer if required, as well as attachments or comments. These tasks will be sent automatically to each participant's task manager, for easy project follow-up.

![Action plan brainstorming](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Brainstorming_Od_J_EN_3_c31b07dc14.png)

In conclusion, writing up the outcome of a brainstorming session requires preparation, effective note-taking and organization. WEDO software is an invaluable brainstorming tool for simplifying this process, centralizing information and facilitating team collaboration. Your brainstorming reports will become valuable documents for decision-making and future planning. It also allows you to conduct brainstorming meetings online.

Interested in this topic? In a future article, we'll be taking a closer look at the second key role in a brainstorming meeting: that of the facilitator. We'll look at the most effective methods for engaging participants and encouraging creativity.

In this article, we'll explore the art of writing a brainstorming report, a document that captures the outcomes of these dynamic meetings. 

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Brainstorming session: how to write a quality report?

The Association of Swiss Professional Photographers and Film Creators (SBF) is at the heart of Switzerland's visual world and is particularly distinguished by its commitment to the quality of its images. Through a combination of professionalism, innovation and artistic competence, the SBF represents the interests of its members (approximately 700 in Switzerland) while promoting excellence.

André Oldani, member of the national board and financial officer of the association, explains to us how WEDO has acted as a catalyst for SBF's digital transformation.

## What tools did you use to ensure collaboration within your association before integrating WEDO ?

Different tools were used. In fact, the different regional sections organised themselves and different tools were used depending on the chair or department. Since 2020/2021, I have launched an initiative to digitize and harmonize the different regional structures.

## What were the limitations in using these different tools?

There was no synchronizsation between the different software programmes and our work lacked structure.

## How do you use the WEDO tool nowadays?

At national level, we use WEDO for the meetings of the management body and the assembly of delegates. With WEDO, we can keep track of tasks from one meeting to the next, making sure we don't forget anything. We also use WEDO's storage space to store our files centrally and securely.

At section level, i.e. regional level, WEDO is not yet integrated everywhere, but the goal is that every section or division will work exclusively with WEDO in the future. This will also make it easier to work with the Executive Committee, as everything will be centralised in one place.

## How was the integration of the tool accepted by your members? 

Generally very positive. As it is a new software, of course you have to learn how to use it, but it is very "userfriendly".

## How does WEDO help your company with digitalization?

WEDO has helped us to digitize mainly at the level of meetings and tasks. The fact that everything is centralized allows us to manage data more efficiently. To be honest, WEDO is an important part of the association’s digitization strategy.

## Which functionalities of WEDO are used most often and why?

We use the meeting tool a lot because we can coordinate and document our meetings and also for traceability reasons. We also use tasks to unify the way we work and have everything in one place. File storage is also used for the same reasons as tasks.

## What advantages does your association have by using WEDO?

Thanks to WEDO, we save a lot of time. Tracking tasks, decisions and meetings is greatly simplified. As everything is consolidated on a single platform, we have a clear overview of the association's tasks.

André Oldani, member of the national board and financial officer of the association, explains to us how WEDO has acted as a catalyst for SBF's digital transformation.

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Interview with André Oldani on the digitisation of SBF

## The organization of a Board of Directors

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

 🗓️ 👩‍💼👨‍💼🧑‍💼

## 1. Prepare your CA

### 📂 Organize the documents

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

###  ✍🏻 Prepare reports

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

###  ❔ Identify key issues

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

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

##  2. Set the agenda

###  📣 Determine what topics to address

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

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

###  📋 Create your base frame

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

###  🗣️ Choose theme presenters

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

###  📎 Joignez les fichiers aux bonnes thématiques

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

##  3. Manage access to the meeting

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

##  4. Integrate the votes

#### 🗳️ Determine voters

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

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

####  ☑️ Allocate shares

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

####  🟢 Require quorum

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

####  👤 Allow anonymous voting

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

####  🚫 Hide voting results until close

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

####  🔨 Write pre-decisions

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

##  5. Write the minutes

###  💻 Writing by the Secretary

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

#### ✍🏻 Paragraphs

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

#### 🗳️ Votes

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

#### 🔨 Decisions

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

#### ✅ Tasks

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

###  👀 Private note-taking by members

####  ✏️ Add private notes to the minutes

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

####  📝 Annotate attached files

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

##  6. Follow up on tasks

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

##  7. Give access to the minutes

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

##  ✅ WEDO's advantages for your CA management

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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Organize your Board of Directors with WEDO

Meeting minutes are a vital part of any [effective meeting](https://wedo.com/blog/6-tips-for-conducting-an-effective-team-meeting). They serve as a written record of a meeting, detailing the key discussions, decisions made, and the action items assigned. Whether you're attending board meetings, company-wide discussions, or project updates, having accurate and efficient minutes ensures everyone is on the same page.

But how can you ensure that your notes are clear, concise, and effective? In this blog, we'll guide you through how to write minutes of a meeting with practical tips that will save you time, improve accuracy, and help you create a reliable meeting minutes template for future use. 

Plus, we will show you how with collaborative tools like WEDO, writing your minutes becomes even easier.

## What are meeting minutes?
Let’s start from the beginning. What do we consider as meeting minutes? Minutes are a summary of the exchanges and discussions observed during a meeting, as well as the decisions made and actions taken. 

A meeting is considered successful when it is followed by meeting minutes that are quickly distributed containing all the key information: what was discussed, who did what and when, as well as the tasks that resulted from the decisions. The meeting minutes specify:


- Attendees
- Absentees (as well as those excused)
- The place of the meeting
- The date and time of the meeting


Each item discussed should include:
- Presenter
- A summary of the main discussions
- Decisions made
- The tasks delegated during the meeting, assigned to specific people, with a deadline if possible.

![Key elements for meeting minutes, including attendees, location, date, presenter, tasks delegated, decisions made, and absentees.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_meeting_minuts_key_elements_en_5564dfb8ef.png)

## The important role of the editor
The editor plays an important role in the success of the meeting. Often, this person in charge of preparing the meeting is also responsible for writing the minutes and distributing the final version to all participants. 

Therefore, the writer must possess several qualities: precision, systematism, ability to listen, speed, and organization are all essential assets for the meeting to be well-conducted from its preparation to its conclusion. Having a meeting agenda fresh in your mind before the meeting can also improve the efficiency of writing the minutes.

### 1. Prepare your agenda
For a meeting to be optimal, it is of course necessary to devote a significant amount of time to its preparation. Therefore, the writer, supported by the organizer, must prepare the meeting agenda conscientiously while keeping the objectives in mind. 

The meeting agenda allows the participants to review the topics to be discussed in advance. During the meeting, whether face-to-face or by video conference, the points will be discussed in chronological order, which is why the agenda must be designed with this in mind beforehand. 

To facilitate the conduct of the meeting, the writer should add paragraphs and files to the agenda, to provide sufficient documentation and make it accessible to the participants. A carefully prepared agenda will promote an efficient and operational meeting!

### 2. Check the agenda before the meeting
Ideally, the agenda should be prepared collaboratively. Each participant should be able to contribute to the agenda item for which they are responsible. If you do this in your organization, the writer should check the content of the agenda before the day of the meeting. This way, they will have a clearer understanding of the meeting notes and will be able to optimize the writing of the minutes.

### 3. Sum up the essence of the discussions
To ensure that the meeting minutes are both clear and understandable, the writer must demonstrate an ability to condense complex discussions into concise summaries. It's important to capture the core points of each conversation while avoiding unnecessary details that could clutter the meeting notes. Strive to balance brevity with clarity so that even those who were not present can easily grasp the key takeaways and decisions made by reading the written record of the meeting.

When summarizing, focus on the major talking points and action items that emerged. This includes highlighting who presented each topic, the critical points of discussion, and any resolutions or decisions made. Avoid including word-for-word exchanges, as this can lead to confusion and excessive length. Instead, aim to provide a clear and organized summary that guides readers through the meeting logically.

### 4. Write systematically
A systematic approach to writing the minutes can greatly improve the quality and efficiency of your report. By following a structured format, you ensure that the most important details are captured and presented clearly. This helps you stay organized during the meeting and makes it easier for others to review the meeting minutes afterward.


For example, you could compose each of your points in the following way:

- Add paragraphs to capture the discussion.
- Highlight decisions made during the meeting.
- List the tasks arising from the decisions, assigning each action item to individuals with deadlines if possible.

By keeping this consistent structure in mind, you can create a clear and comprehensive record of the meeting. This approach ensures nothing important is missed, avoids confusion, and enhances accountability among the participants. It also makes the minutes easier to reference later, saving time and improving productivity.

![Systematic approach to writing meeting minutes, including recording attendees, listing tasks, assigning responsibilities, and noting deadlines.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_meeting_minuts_systematic_approach_en_1c97292299.png)

### 5. Highlighting decisions
As already mentioned, a key part of effective meeting minutes is making sure there is a written record of every important decision, and that they are clearly highlighted. After each major discussion point, review whether any decisions were made and ensure they are clearly marked in the meeting notes. 

This practice helps clarify what was agreed upon and prevents misunderstandings or delays in future actions. By emphasizing decisions, you make it easier for team members to track and follow up on key outcomes, improving overall efficiency and minimizing the risk of wasted time in subsequent meetings.

Remember, clear decision-making is the foundation of successful meetings, and your minutes should reflect this by making all key decisions easy to find and understand.

### 6. Define and delegate tasks during the meeting
Too often, at the end of a meeting, participants do not know what needs to be done and especially who is responsible for the action items to be taken. In order to make employees operational at the end of the meeting, make sure to clearly define the actions to be carried out from one meeting to the next. 

Also, make sure all the tasks are appointed to the correct members of the group - even if it means specifying all the people concerned by the task in question. If you can, also specify the due date so that the person in charge knows the deadline for completing the task. Clearly defined action items with specific responsibilities will ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them, reducing any chance of miscommunication and preventing wasted time or confusion [after the meeting ends](https://wedo.com/blog/follow-up-on-post-meeting-actions).

### 7. Make a summary point at the end of the meeting
This tip is for those who wish to make a "summary" point in order to facilitate the rereading of the minutes. This approach will also have the advantage of anchoring in the minds of the participants the important elements such as the major decisions that were decided upon. 

A final summary should focus on the most important decisions and any high-priority action items that require attention. Rather than reviewing every detail, emphasize the elements that will drive progress, preferably in a bullet-point format to ensure clarity and easy readability. Keeping the summary brief and to the point will make it more impactful, helping participants stay aligned and prepared for future discussions.

### 8. Proofread and correct the minutes quickly
We don't have to specify how essential it is to reread the minutes at the end of the meeting. While it can sometimes be tedious, it is best to do it directly after the meeting. This way, the writer will still have the essence of the discussions in mind and will be able to provide accurate and efficient work.

Once it has been proofread, the minutes can be shared quickly with all the participants so that they are immediately operational. Those who are not present will be able to take note of the discussions and also carry out the actions for which they may be responsible.

## Quick reference: Key steps for better meeting minutes
Take a quick look at the visual below to see a summary of the 8 essential tips that will help you create effective and concise meeting minutes. 


![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2021_05_visual_8_tips_to_improve_your_meeting_minutes_2_1024x576_ad00334b94.png)

## Simplify Your Meeting Minutes with Digital Tools
After reviewing these 8 tips, you see the editor's job is not always the easiest one. While capturing effective meeting minutes can be time-consuming, there are digital tools designed to make the process easier.

Collaborative platforms like WEDO support you before, during, and after the meeting, allowing you to focus on what truly matters—the meeting's success. With WEDO, you can create your minutes in real-time, ensuring that no important detail is missed. Its user-friendly features allow you to easily organize content like paragraphs, decisions, tasks, and attachments.

One standout feature is WEDO’s powerful search tool, enabling you to quickly find what you need by searching through previous meetings, tasks, or files with just a few clicks. Say goodbye to spending extra time rewriting notes and enjoy [more efficient, productive meetings](https://wedo.com/features/meetings).
Ready to make your meetings more efficient? [Try WEDO today](https://wedo.com/signup) and experience the difference for yourself!

Learn 8 practical tips to write efficient meeting minutes, save time, and improve productivity with real-time collaboration tools like WEDO.

Example of a well-structured meeting minutes with clear points and instructions, showing how to write meeting minutes.

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8 Essential Tips for Writing Clear and Effective Meeting Minutes

**HR Today is the Swiss media of reference in the field of human resources management. On April 28, 2021, an article dedicated to remote meetings was published in the special Remote Work section. The article refers to WEDO as the ideal collaborative solution for efficient remote meetings.**

Remote collaboration is now a daily issue for all companies. WEDO offers a tool to manage meetings, tasks and projects. Each team member can contribute to the preparation of meetings, write minutes or even take note of the tasks he/she has to perform from any location.

The digitalization of companies has led to an increase in the exchange of information between employees. Recently, remote work has further increased this problem. Although tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams facilitate exchanges and communication, they do not solve the lack of information structure. As a result, employees find themselves drowning in a flood of information and often suffer from a time-consuming disease: acute meeting fatigue. Meetings and their follow-up take a lot of time, the management of delegated tasks is tedious and it is difficult to know who does what and until when. WEDO is the solution that enables organizations to collaborate efficiently. \[...\]

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2021_04_smartmockups_knhgyzdy_1024x682_099a323f24.png)

::button-primary[Read the rest of the article]{link="https://hrtoday.ch/de/article/eine-kollaborative-plattform-fuer-effiziente-sitzungen"}


In April, HR Today proposes to take a look at the very current topic of "Working from home". The Swiss media presents WEDO as an ideal solution to efficiently manage remote meetings. Discover in this article how our tool facilitates your virtual meetings.

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A collaborative platform for efficient remote meetings

A well-organized meeting doesn't just happen. It takes clear planning, defined roles, and active participation to ensure success. Whether you're hosting an in-person or virtual meeting, one of the most effective ways to improve [meeting effectiveness](https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/2012/02/28/cut-the-b-s-and-get-to-the-point-the-only-2-communication-types-that-drive-results/) is to assign roles ahead of time. By doing so, every meeting participant knows their responsibilities, the meeting stays on track, and decisions are made efficiently.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the 4 key roles that can help you manage the meeting process, from preparation to follow-up, ensuring a smooth and productive outcome.

## Assigning roles before the meeting
At the end of a meeting, it’s common for participants to question the meeting’s real purpose or outcome. Poor preparation, lack of structure, poorly defined objectives, and a lack of general commitment are all causes that can compromise the success of your meeting.

Assigning roles in a meeting beforehand ensures each team member is prepared and focused, helping improve meeting effectiveness and establish a strong meeting culture. As is too often imagined, the involvement of participants is not limited to the day of the meeting. To ensure the effectiveness of the meeting, participants have a role to play before, during and after the meeting.

## The 4 key roles
### 1. The organizer: a facilitator
To ensure your meeting's success, you should appoint an organizer who is responsible for the entire meeting process. The meeting organizer sets the agenda, defines objectives, sends out the meeting invitation, and communicates the meeting’s purpose and expectations to all participants.

During the meeting, they act as the meeting leader, facilitating discussions, keeping everyone on track, and making sure objectives are met.  Their key qualities? The facilitator is organized, communicates with ease and knows how to set realistic objectives.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2021_04_organizer_wedo_2021_1024x576_a81c3d4795.png)

### 2. The editor: secretary of the meeting
The editor plays one of the main roles by documenting everything that happens during the meeting. They capture the meeting notes, recording key discussions, action items, and decisions. Basically, they feed the content and keep the participants informed. Therefore, it’s important for the editor to be attentive, concise, and systematic, ensuring nothing important is missed.


![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2021_04_editor_wedo_2021_1024x576_bc83b2b1fd.png)

### 3. The timekeeper
Appointing a timekeeper ensures the meeting stays on track by monitoring the schedule and reminding the organizer if discussions are going over the allotted time. The timekeeper works with the organizer to define the time allocated for all agenda items, ensuring the meeting runs efficiently without exceeding the scheduled meeting time.
Therefore, the meeting organizer must define the total time of the meeting beforehand, or better yet, define the time allowed for each point. However, the time keeper will not have any particular role to play after the meeting; they will only be required to read the minutes carefully, just like the other participants.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2021_04_time_keeper_wedo_2021_1024x576_7b6fcb4177.png)

### 4. The participants, prepared and proactive
All meeting participants must come prepared, stay engaged, and actively contribute. They should be familiar with the meeting agenda and ready to ask questions, provide feedback, and take on assigned tasks. Active participation from all attendees ensures that the meeting runs smoothly and achieves its goals.


![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2021_04_participants_en_wedo_2021_1024x576_cb65ecaf87.png)

## Coordinating roles for effective meeting flow
Each of the four key roles plays a critical part before, during, and after the meeting. Before the meeting, it's essential to prepare and share the agenda items with the team to ensure everyone is aligned and ready. Clear communication from the meeting organizer ensures that participants are well-prepared, improving both the quality and [duration of the meeting](https://wedo.com/blog/how-to-limit-the-duration-of-a-company-meeting).

During the meeting, the meeting editor should take notes, record decisions, and track action items in real time, adding them directly to the agenda. This approach saves time and ensures that no important points are overlooked.

After the meeting, participants should have immediate access to the meeting notes to review their assigned tasks. This organized process enables smooth follow-up and helps maintain meeting effectiveness for future sessions.

### Before the meeting
#### The Organizer
The meeting organizer schedules the time, date, and agenda for the meeting. They make sure all team members are informed and prepare accordingly. The organizer also ensures that each agenda item is clearly defined and that only the necessary meeting participants are invited.

#### The Editor
In collaboration with the organizer, the editor helps prepare the framework, agenda, and any supporting documents that will be needed. By sharing all the necessary documents in advance, the participants are more prepared, leading to a [more productive team meeting](https://wedo.com/blog/6-tips-for-conducting-an-effective-team-meeting).

#### The Timekeeper
The timekeeper works with the organizer to define the time allocated for each agenda point, ensuring the meeting runs efficiently without exceeding the scheduled duration.

#### The Participants
All team members should familiarize themselves with the meeting agenda ahead of time. This allows them to engage fully in the meeting and reduces the chance of needing clarification afterward. Participants who are presenting or leading a discussion should also prepare their agenda items in advance.

### During the meeting
#### The Organizer
During the meeting, the meeting organizer plays a key role as the meeting leader. Their first priority is to ensure the agenda items are respected and to prevent any distractions that could derail the meeting or prolong it unnecessarily. At the start, the meeting organizer should remind all participants of the meeting's purpose, so everyone feels involved and knows what the goals are.

In most cases, the organizer also assumes the role of facilitator, ensuring the discussions stay focused and productive. It’s important to maintain control of the conversation, making sure debates don’t go off-topic and that every team member has the opportunity to express their opinions on the subject at hand. The goal is to create a positive environment that encourages constructive discussions.

To improve meeting effectiveness, the organizer works closely with the editor throughout the meeting. This collaboration ensures that key points, decisions, and action items are accurately captured and recorded. The organizer ensures the editor has enough time to summarize discussions and properly document the decisions made.

At the end of the meeting, the organizer should remind all participants of the major decisions made and emphasize the next steps. Key follow-up questions should be addressed: Should the date of the next team meeting be set? Is each meeting participant aware of their tasks and responsibilities? The goal is to ensure effective follow-up and maintain accountability from one meeting to the next.

#### The Editor
During the meeting, the editor is responsible for taking clear and concise meeting notes. They have to capture the essential points without going into unnecessary detail and not to lose the flow of the discussion. While exact formulations can be refined later during the proofreading phase, the priority is to accurately document the decisions and action items agreed upon in real-time.

The editor also plays an important role in assigning tasks that result from these decisions. Once a decision is made, the editor makes sure it’s recorded, along with any action items assigned to specific team members, ensuring there is clarity on responsibilities and deadlines.

#### The Timekeeper
The timekeeper monitors the meeting schedule, keeping a constant eye on the clock to ensure that the allotted time for each agenda item is respected. If necessary, the timekeeper discreetly informs the organizer that time is running out. The meeting facilitator can then decide whether to shorten the discussion or move toward a decision, keeping the meeting on track.

At the end of the meeting, the timekeeper announces the conclusion of the meeting schedule and ensures that the session wraps up on time, improving the overall meeting experience.

#### The Participants
Too often, meeting participants are distracted, checking their phones or losing focus. In any team meeting, it’s essential to be fully attentive, especially when important decisions are being made. Participants must be aware of the meeting's objectives and contribute to the discussion to help achieve those goals.

Each meeting participant should engage in the conversation, listen carefully, and offer insights when appropriate. At the end of the meeting, participants should also feel comfortable asking questions to clarify any tasks or responsibilities assigned to them. Being clear on next steps ensures that everyone knows what to do to ensure success between meetings.

### After the meeting
#### The Organizer
After the meeting, the meeting organizer ensures that all assigned action items are completed and that no meeting participants are facing difficulties that could hinder their progress. The meeting leader works closely with the editor to ensure that the meeting notes and minutes are [accessible to everyone](https://wedo.com/blog/8-tips-to-improve-your-meeting-minutes).

By distributing the minutes promptly, the organizer ensures that all team members can review the content, stay aware of their tasks, and meet upcoming deadlines. This process supports an effective follow-up and contributes to improved meeting effectiveness for future sessions.

#### The Editor
After the meeting, the editor reviews the live notes to refine, format, and correct them if needed. The goal is to ensure that the discussions and decisions made during the meeting are as clear as possible.
Once the minutes are validated, the editor ensures that any supporting documents or files are available to participants. The finalized meeting notes are then distributed to all team members for reference.

The minutes must be detailed and precise, especially for those who were not present at the meeting or for external stakeholders who need to understand the meeting’s outcomes. A clear, well-organized transcript promotes effective communication within the team and makes planning for the next team meeting more efficient.

#### The Participants
Within 24 hours of receiving the validated minutes, each participant should carefully review the meeting notes. Reading the minutes while the meeting objectives are still fresh in mind makes it easier to recall key discussions and responsibilities. Each participant must then ensure they have noted [all the tasks assigned](https://wedo.com/blog/organization-4-steps-to-improve-the-management-of-your-daily-tasks) to them and commit to meeting the deadlines, particularly if tasks need to be completed by the next key meeting.

If necessary, participants should not hesitate to seek assistance from their managers to make sure that all objectives are achieved within the agreed timeframe. It’s important to remember that asking for help is a proactive step toward ensuring success and maintaining productivity.

## The importance of preparation for a successful meeting
As we've seen throughout this article, clear meeting roles are essential for running an efficient meeting. The preparation phase lays the groundwork for success. By defining objectives, inviting the right team members, assigning roles, and carefully organizing the meeting agenda and timing, you ensure that your meeting is productive.

While we’ve covered 4 key roles, other roles like the decision-maker or mediator can be added based on your organization’s needs. The important thing is that each meeting participant understands their role and how they contribute to the meeting's success. It's a shared effort—organizing a meeting is not solely the meeting organizer's responsibility. By embracing this approach, your company meetings will run more smoothly and effectively.

Using tools like WEDO can help simplify this process. With WEDO, you can collaboratively prepare your meetings, write meeting notes in real time, and track tasks assigned during the meeting.


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


Whether you are organizing or participating in a meeting, you have a role to play in ensuring its effectiveness. It is clear that a meeting that involves and engages all participants will be successful. Ensure that your objectives are met by defining 4 key roles that will guarantee the optimal organization of your meetings.

A group of participants reviewing key points from a previous meeting to improve meeting effectiveness, with clearly defined meeting roles and responsibilities to ensure accountability.

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4 Key Roles for Meeting Effectiveness

The causes of an ineffective meeting can be multiple: poor preparation, repetition, lack of commitment from the participants, poorly defined objectives, sterile debates, endless discussions that do not lead to any decision making... so many disappointments that weaken the productivity of your work teams. 

But how can we overcome the scourge of unproductive meetings? The solution lies in the implementation of simple practices that are, to say the least, essential to the smooth running of a working session. 

## 1\. Invite participants to prepare in advance by collaborating around the agenda

To begin with, all agendas for your meetings should be set and circulated in advance. A meeting is only effective if all participants are willing to contribute to the discussion. As a team leader, invite participants to prepare their contributions in advance to ensure the quality of future discussions. The best way to achieve this goal is to start by creating a common agenda that is accessible and modifiable by all team members. This will reinforce the engagement of the participants during the meeting since they will have contributed to its elaboration beforehand. Empower your teams by giving them a voice!

In addition to making your meetings more productive, working together to prepare for your meetings will be a first step towards a more inclusive internal culture. As a team leader, be sure to value everyone's ideas and contributions. Meetings are the ideal place to shape, grow and communicate your corporate culture.

With WEDO, create your agenda and invite your colleagues to contribute to the different items with the appropriate content (files, paragraphs, private notes...). This way you can collaborate on the preparation of your next team meeting.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2020_03_1_meeting_agenda_wedo_1024x575_ae325113b3.png)

 Would you like to create collaborative agendas for your meetings? 

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

## 2\. Ensure that everyone takes part in the discussions and respect everyone's speaking time.

On the day of the meeting, the initiator of the meeting must assume the role of "facilitator" by encouraging free exchange among participants. Be attentive to interactions by keeping a critical and constructive eye. It is also a matter of controlling the dynamics of the meeting while keeping the initial objectives in mind to ensure that they are achieved. Sometimes, one speaker can take precedence over more introverted others. To facilitate exchanges, make sure that everyone is able to give his or her opinion. Create a pleasant atmosphere for constructive and caring discussions among your team members.

What to do concretely when one or two people dominate the conversations?

* Go around the table to ask the opinions of the more discreet participants.
* Be aware of interruptions: if someone is interrupted, make sure they can finish what they are saying.
* Promote a caring environment by reminding that everyone's contribution is essential and that there are no "stupid" ideas or questions.

This environment will be conducive to generating ideas, making decisions and building stronger relationships to move forward together towards common goals.

Ineffective meetings are often characterized by their lengthy duration. If you can't manage to limit the time each person can speak, you will lose valuable time. Keep in mind that bringing a group of employees together in the same room represents a significant cost to the company.

Creating an agenda is the first step towards respecting your employees' time. It will help you stay focused on the purpose of the meeting while avoiding unnecessary digressions.

The second step is to highlight the importance of punctuality. If a participant tends to be late for team meetings, give them your comments as an aside.

Finally, respecting everyone's time also means being able to recognize when a meeting must be cancelled or shortened. If most members are absent or agenda items have already been dealt with at another time, don't monopolize your team's precious time and let them focus on their priorities and possible upcoming deadlines.

## 3\. Take a moment to review the work that has been done and ask questions about constraints and concerns.

As a leader, take the time to recognize the work done by your team during your meetings. Plenary encouragement will enhance the value of the whole group by providing a positive and constructive dynamic. In addition, this practice will have the advantage of subtly showing the way to those who have not worked according to your expectations. Public praise will encourage them to follow the example of what has earned your recognition.

However, make sure that you adapt to everyone's personality. While most people like to be publicly praised, some people may not like public recognition.

Alternatively, invite the rest of the group to give their opinion. You may wish to include a section dedicated to participant feedback in your agenda item list. This is a great way to encourage employees to recognize the work of their colleagues. Acknowledging the work done by your team will lead to a productive dynamic while creating strong group cohesion.

Due to poor communication, the front-line problems of an organization may not be known to management. To avoid this, hold bilateral meetings as well as team meetings to ask colleagues about blockers that could prevent them from doing their jobs.

As a team leader, valuing transparent communication will create an environment that is conducive to problem solving. If your employees are confident, they will dare to talk openly about the obstacles they encounter in their daily work. Together, you will be able to solve them in order to reach the objectives set. So invite your colleagues to talk about their concerns: at your team meetings, go around the table regularly so that everyone can express themselves freely and honestly.

## 4\. Establish efficient monitoring of activities

Follow-up actions are probably the most important part of your team meetings as they will help you achieve your goals. At the end of the meeting, your team members need to be clear about what is expected of them. It is a matter of answering the famous question of "who does what and for when". You don't organize meetings just to discuss various subjects: the main goal is to give substance to concrete actions. The follow-up to the meeting must therefore be treated with as much attention as its preparation. At the end of the meeting, already think about the next one in order to ensure an effective follow-up.

What is the best way to ensure effective monitoring of operations?

One of the most effective methods is to make a clear note after each topic discussed in the meeting of the tasks arising from it. Also think about directly assigning your tasks in order to get your team up and running as quickly as possible.

3 tips for writing clear and punchy tasks:

* Begin with an infinitive verb to suggest action
* Be as precise as possible! Think that the task must be understood by a third person.
* Assign a person responsible for each task and specify its deadline.

WEDO combines dynamic reporting with collaborative task management. Enter your tasks directly in meetings, delegate them to your colleagues and specifying their deadlines. Your team will be able to ensure the follow-up of operations at the end of the meeting.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2020_03_2_assign_tasks_during_meeting_wedo_1024x575_6b9401c77f.png)

Would you like to create tasks directly during your meetings?

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

## 5\. Share the report with all participants.

To ensure the success of the follow-up process, make sure to distribute the minutes of the meeting discussions. Your team members should have quick access to support that they can rely on to complete their tasks. A team meeting will fail if participants are not clear about what they need to do after the meeting. To facilitate communication, it is essential to make sure that the minutes of your discussion are well presented: highlight the collective decisions and the tasks to be carried out. Make sure that important information stands out clearly so that it is retained by your colleagues. The record of your discussions will ultimately validate the relevance of your meeting in the eyes of the participants.

With WEDO, distribute reports to participants in just a few clicks directly from the platform.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2020_03_3_send_meeting_minute_to_assignees_wedo_1024x575_72b855da94.png)

## 6\. Seek input from team members about meeting organization

The opinion of your colleagues counts and will allow you to optimize the conduct of your meetings. If your team is convinced of the relevance of your meetings, it will be better able to deliver quality work. Nobody likes wasting time! Moreover, giving employees the opportunity to express their opinions will also help you develop an inclusive culture and ensure that all your meetings will be useful in the future. Ask your team members concretely what they think would make your meetings more effective.

Alternatively, at the end of the meeting, ask your collaborators to give your meeting a score of 1 to 3 :

* 3: this meeting is well organized and allows me to achieve my objectives.
* 2: the meeting is useful but its organization needs improvement.
* 1: I feel that I have wasted my time, this meeting was not useful to me.

Invite each participant to indicate how many points they tune with their raised fingers and quickly survey the room. Finally, ask the most sceptical participants to communicate the points of improvement they feel are necessary.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2020_03_end_of_meeting_aa13165fe0.gif)

Do you want to improve the conduct of your team meetings using a technological and easy-to-use tool? WEDO is the solution to make your meetings useful and efficient!

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

As a team leader, you are regularly called upon to organise meetings but are not convinced of their effectiveness? Rethink the organisation of your work sessions by observing a few key principles. Here are some tips that will improve the conduct of your meetings and the commitment of your teams. 

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6 tips for conducting an effective team meeting

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Monday.com

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Hypercontext

At a time when the pyramidal management system inspired by Taylor and Ford is perceived as rigid and culturally obsolete, new forms of work organization are gradually emerging.¹ Self-management models are an important part of these new organizational structures.

Self-management models are an important part of these new organizational structures. To understand why organizations are adopting these self-management models, we need to understand what managers want most from their organizations: reliability and adaptability. All organizations want to achieve, to some extent, both reliability and adaptability. But one usually overshadows the other. Indeed, too much reliability creates rigidity and can make companies insensitive to changing markets. Conversely, if companies place too much emphasis on adaptability, they risk becoming dispersed and losing sight of their raison d'être. In an attempt to reconcile reliability and adaptability, holacracy, the best-known and most widely practiced model of self-management, helps to achieve this balance.²

## But what is holacracy?

According to Bernard Marie Chiquet, founder of IGI Partners (the company that imports holacracy to Europe from the USA), holacracy is a practice that promotes responsibility and cooperation in the service of the company's raison d'être. In this practice, there is no longer a manager as such, but everyone is invited to manage themselves, and is expected to demonstrate leadership. This is not to say that there is no structure. Holacracy refers to a “holarchic structure”. Here's a diagram illustrating how this structure works:

![Graphic depicting the circle structure and roles in Holacracy, showing how autonomous teams and interconnected roles operate without traditional hierarchy.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Holacratiezero_waste_1_a93adb54f3.jpg)

### The super circle
Also known as the company's general circle, it represents
the company as a whole. In particular, it is made up of the 1ᵉʳ and 2ᵉ link of
each sub-circle.

### The sub-circle
The sub-circle represents autonomous teams where each person has a role and
working towards the same goal. Sub-circles are formed or dissolved according to
needs of the organization.

### Role
The role is a set of responsibilities within the organization. Roles can be
can be created, modified or cancelled. People usually have more than one role
in several circles. There are operational roles and structural
structural roles. The various structural roles, which are less concerned with operational tasks, must guarantee the smooth running of the team (= sub
circle), both within it and within the organization. The two main roles are
structural roles:
    - **1ᵉʳ link:** in each sub-circle, one person takes on the role of coach, similar to the leader or manager in a pyramid system. This person's responsibilities include assigning roles, managing finances and priorities, coaching team members, and maintaining a good atmosphere. These tasks take up around 10% of his or her time, the rest being devoted to other roles depending on his or her skills.
    - **2ᵉ link:** is responsible for escalating a tension from a sub-circle to the super
    circle if it exceeds the authority of the sub-circle in question.

Also, in order to be better organized and more efficient than in a so-called classical structure, the “holarchic structure” relies on three [types of meetings](https://wedo.com/features/meetings) :

- **Strategic meetings** to define the company's direction.
- **Governance meetings**, the purpose of which is to work on the organization without addressing operational issues.
- **Tactical Meetings**, whose purpose is to work within the organization, i.e. on concrete (operational) subjects to be developed.

During these sessions, strict order, rules and roles must be respected. Each participant is invited to speak in turn and submit ideas or tensions. The aim is to find solutions collectively, and to help the organization evolve thanks to everyone's involvement.

### Holacracy: a change of cultural paradigm

Adopting holacracy is more than just an organizational transformation; it's also a profound change in corporate culture. One of the main challenges for companies is to abandon the culture of hierarchy and control, deeply rooted in traditional systems. Employees, accustomed to rigid structures with clear chains of command, must learn to operate autonomously and embrace individual responsibility.

![Graph comparing Holacracy and the traditional pyramidal system, highlighting structural differences and organizational impact.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_task_organisation_4_steps_1_0db00fe11e.png)

This requires not only a new way of thinking, but also a new way of working together. In a holarchical structure, employees must take on a certain form of individual leadership, while collaborating more closely with their colleagues. Collaborative decision-making, which is at the heart of holacracy, may take longer and require more patience than in a pyramidal model. However, this approach improves transparency, individual responsibility and alignment within teams. Each employee is encouraged to take the initiative and become more involved in decision-making processes. This creates an environment where autonomy is not only encouraged, but valued. Holacracy also encourages more open and regular communication between team members, reducing information silos and strengthening team spirit.

Another key aspect is that companies must be prepared to reinvent their reward and recognition systems. In a holacratic organization, traditional promotions are no longer relevant, as there are no hierarchical levels to climb. This overturns the traditional model of career progression. Employees need to be motivated by other forms of recognition, such as broader responsibilities, the opportunity to contribute to a variety of projects, or regular feedback mechanisms. For this system to work well, employees must also have a clear vision of their objectives and understand how their work contributes to the organization's raison d'être.

## The limits of holacracy

Although holacracy has been adopted by many companies, some, such as Amazon subsidiary Zappos, have either abandoned it or never embraced it. Indeed, this structure also has its limitations, such as rigid meeting rules, restrictions on freedom of expression, and questionable effectiveness. These various points influenced Zappos' decision to retract.⁴

Regarding roles, the Zappos example shows that an employee has around 7.4 roles for an average of 3.47 responsibilities per role. That's a total of more than 25 responsibilities per employee. This multiplicity of roles complicates the organization of work, recruitment, and the definition of salaries, as it becomes difficult to assess a fair wage. In fact, as the employees compile the various roles, establishing a salary in relation to what is being done on the market becomes virtually impossible.

Another delicate point in adopting holacracy is the need for greater discipline. In a model where individuals have greater autonomy and responsibility, it can be easy for some to lose sight of the company's priorities. What's more, not all personalities adapt easily to this level of self-management. Some employees may experience increased stress when faced with the need to take on more initiative and responsibility without traditional supervision. It can also create a lack of clarity in task allocation, especially in larger or more complex organizations, where communication and coordination are essential.

Despite its image as an innovative management system, holacracy is not suitable for all businesses. It can take years to adopt, and many employees may have to leave. For large companies, partial adoption is recommended. On the other hand, for start-ups and SMEs with a high level of organizational adaptability and a relatively small size, holacracy appears to be an appropriate solution. In fact, many of them are early adopters.⁵

## Holacracy and conflict management

Managing tensions is a key element in a holarchic organization. Tensions, according to holacracy, are defined as gaps between the organization's current state and what an ideal situation might be. These tensions are often seen as opportunities for improvement. However, managing tensions can sometimes become a source of frustration. If they are not dealt with quickly or effectively, they can lead to conflict between team members.

The role of the facilitator is therefore crucial in ensuring that tensions are resolved constructively. In a traditional structure, conflicts are often managed top-down, with a manager or supervisor playing the role of arbiter. In holacracy, conflict resolution is more horizontal, with teams often having to find their own solutions to problems that arise. This requires a high level of maturity and communication skills on the part of team members. For this to work, the organization needs to put in place well-defined conflict resolution processes and clear frameworks for escalating tensions.

## The long-term benefits of holacracy

Despite the challenges it presents, holacracy offers many potential long-term benefits. By adopting a more flexible governance model, companies can improve their resilience in the face of market changes. Increased team autonomy encourages innovation, as ideas can emerge more quickly and be implemented without going through a long validation chain. This enhanced responsiveness is essential in sectors where change is rapid and adaptability is a key success factor.

One of the main advantages of holacracy is that it encourages better use of employees' skills. Indeed, employees are no longer restricted to a single defined role or position; they can contribute to different projects and circles according to their talents and interests. This also prevents certain talents from going untapped, or valuable skills from being under-utilized. This approach can lead to greater job satisfaction and higher talent retention, as employees feel they have greater freedom to develop their skills and broaden their scope within the organization.¹⁰

Finally, holacracy enables greater organizational agility. Companies that adopt this model are often more responsive to market changes, as they are not held back by rigid structures. Decisions are taken faster and closer to the operational teams, enabling strategies to be adjusted in real time. This flexibility can be a major competitive advantage, especially in dynamic markets where the ability to react quickly to change is crucial.

![Graph illustrating the benefits of Holacracy, emphasizing adaptability, autonomy, and team alignment.](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/blog_task_organisation_4_steps_4_a7aac4fe0f.png)

## Holacracy and innovation: a winning synergy

One of the great strengths of holacracy lies in its ability to foster innovation. By removing hierarchical barriers, employees feel freer to put forward new ideas, even if they're off the beaten track. This ability to generate new ideas is essential in a world where markets evolve rapidly and companies must constantly reinvent themselves. Holacracy also encourages calculated risk-taking, as each circle can experiment on a small scale without fear of serious consequences for the organization as a whole.

What's more, holacracy enables ideas to be tested more quickly. Each circle can make decisions independently and implement prototypes or pilot projects without waiting for approval from top management. This reduces time-to-market and keeps the company competitive. This is particularly beneficial for startups or fast-growing companies, where the ability to innovate and adapt quickly is crucial to survival and prosperity.

Holacracy also encourages a diversity of viewpoints, allowing everyone, whatever their role or status, to contribute to collective thinking. This diversity is a powerful driver of innovation, as it enables a variety of ideas to be brought together and more creative solutions to the challenges facing the company to be explored. It also helps to break down the tendency towards one-track thinking, by encouraging the inclusion of voices from all levels and giving everyone the opportunity to play an active part in creating value for the company.

In conclusion, holacracy is an innovative management model that challenges conventional structures. However, its application raises challenges, particularly in the complex management of roles and organization. Adapted to agile companies such as [start-ups and certain SMEs](https://wedo.com/industries/sme), it is not a universal solution, especially for large structures. Each company must therefore carefully assess its specific needs before adopting holacracy, preparing appropriate adjustments for a successful transition.

Would you like to test holacracy in your company? WEDO can help you with our comprehensive governance module dedicated to this management system. To find out more, ask one of our specialists for a free demo.


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### Governance with WEDO

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**References**

1. GROSJEAN, VINCENT, LEÏCHLÉ, JACQUES and THÉVENY, LAURENT, 2016. New forms of work organization: opportunities or illusions? . 2016. Vol. 245, pp. 6-9.
2. BERNSTEIN, Ethan, BUNCH, John, CANNER, Niko and LEE, Michael, 2016. Beyond the Holacracy Hype. Harvard Business Review. August 2016. pp. 38-49.
3. CHIQUET, Bernard Marie and APPERT, Étienne, 2013. A new managerial technology, holacracy. Goussonville : IGI partners. ISBN 978-2-9545641-1-1. 658.002 22
4. CASTILLO, Amanda, 2018. Holacratie, l'utopie qui se passe de chef. Le Temps [online]. October 5, 2018. [Accessed April 17, 2022]. Available from: https://www.letemps.ch/economie/holacratie-lutopie-se-passe-chef
5. BERNSTEIN, Ethan, BUNCH, John, CANNER, Niko and LEE, Michael, 2016. Beyond the Holacracy Hype. Harvard Business Review. August 2016. pp. 38-49.

Holacracy reshapes organizations by balancing reliability and adaptability, contrasting with traditional pyramidal systems. Discover its benefits and challenges in this article.

Image of people collaborating in a workspace inspired by Holacracy, where each person contributes autonomously and harmoniously toward shared goals.

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Holacracy: managerial revolution or organizational challenge?

![Antoine Sudan et David Dutch, accompagnés d'Alexia Borg, journaliste chez Forbes](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/willkommen_6c64ea9d3b.png)

In an exciting feature on [Forbes](https://www.forbes.fr/brandvoice/wedo-la-plateforme-collaborative-qui-simplifie-la-gestion-des-taches-et-des-reunions/), Alexia Borg sat down with WEDO’s co-founders to discuss the company’s incredible journey from a small Swiss startup to a global player in the collaborative software industry. The interview, held in Paris, shines a spotlight on WEDO’s evolution over the past 9 years. What began as a friendship and a shared passion has turned into a thriving business with over 600 clients and 15 dedicated employees.

But this is more than just a retrospective. The feature offers insights into how WEDO’s platform is helping companies worldwide streamline their task and meeting management processes. Below, we’ll break down the key points from the interview and explore what sets WEDO apart in an increasingly competitive landscape.



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## WEDO: The Collaborative Platform that Simplifies Task and Meeting Management

[WEDO’s collaborative SaaS platform](https://wedo.com/) has quickly become the go-to solution for businesses looking to streamline their internal operations. The platform is designed to simplify every aspect of meeting preparation and task management, from creating detailed agendas to tracking project progress in real time. With WEDO, teams can focus on what truly matters—getting things done efficiently and securely.

## What Makes WEDO Stand Out?

There are a few key reasons why over 600 businesses have adopted WEDO as their platform of choice:

1. **Ease of Use**: WEDO is simple to set up and start using right away. Unlike many other collaboration tools, WEDO is intuitive and easy to implement, requiring minimal training for users to get started. “We’ve found that teams appreciate how quickly they can adopt WEDO without the steep learning curve that comes with other platforms,” says David Dutch, co-founder of WEDO.
2. **Multi-Language Support**: WEDO’s platform is available in multiple languages, including French, English, German, and Italian. This has made it especially popular among European companies looking for a collaborative tool that meets the diverse language needs of their employees.
3. **All-in-One Collaboration**: WEDO isn’t just a meeting tool—it’s a complete solution that integrates project management, [task tracking](https://wedo.com/features/tasks), and real-time collaboration. Users can prepare agendas, draft meeting minutes, and track the completion of tasks from one meeting to the next. This [all-in-one](https://wedo.com/features) approach to collaboration is what sets WEDO apart and helps teams stay organized without juggling multiple tools.

![meeting management with WEDO](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Forbes_2_FR_5f46399cb5.png)

## Security at the Forefront of WEDO’s Innovation

In a world where data breaches and security concerns are top of mind for businesses, WEDO has prioritized security as a core feature of its platform. The SaaS platform is designed with [data protection](https://wedo.com/security) at its core, ensuring that companies can collaborate without worrying about data privacy.

“Our platform is hosted on ISO 27001 certified servers in Switzerland, which comply with both GDPR and Switzerland’s nLPD regulations,” explains Antoine Sudan, co-founder of WEDO. “This gives our clients peace of mind, knowing that their sensitive data is secure and stored in compliance with the strictest regulations.”

In addition to robust data encryption and compliance features, WEDO ensures that all data is stored locally in Europe, reducing the risk of data sovereignty issues—a key concern for businesses operating in highly regulated industries.

## Innovation: Looking Ahead with AI Tools

WEDO’s commitment to continuous improvement doesn’t stop at security and ease of use. The company is constantly looking for ways to evolve its platform to better meet the needs of its users. “We’re currently developing AI tools that will not only make our platform more intuitive but will also provide actionable insights to help teams work more effectively,” says David Dutch.

These AI-driven tools will focus on optimizing workflows, suggesting task priorities, and automating repetitive processes. As businesses continue to demand smarter and more efficient solutions, WEDO is positioning itself as a leader in AI-powered collaboration.

## Real-World Impact: How WEDO is Transforming Businesses

WEDO’s SaaS platform isn’t just another software tool; it’s a [game-changer for businesses](https://wedo.com/category/use-cases) across various industries. [Companies using WEDO](https://wedo.com/category/customer-testimonials) have reported significant improvements in meeting efficiency, task completion rates, and overall project management.

Take, for example, a mid-sized European tech company that struggled with disorganized meetings and missed deadlines. After implementing WEDO, the company saw a 30% reduction in time spent in meetings, with task completion rates increasing by 25%. This level of impact is why more and more businesses are turning to WEDO to simplify their internal operations.

![Task Management with WEDO](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Forbes1_FR_871022caa4.png)

## How does the company differentiate itself from its competitors?

The first area of differentiation lies in the tool itself. Unlike some highly specialized software, WEDO was designed as a dynamic and flexible platform, capable of meeting a wide range of use cases and industry needs (e.g., [municipal and administrative councils](https://wedo.com/industries/municipal-administrations), [team meetings](https://wedo.com/use-cases/team-meetings), [project management](https://wedo.com/features/project-management)). Compared to offerings like Microsoft’s, the company promotes a more holistic approach with an “all-in-one” tool, which avoids fragmenting information across various software that need to be connected. With WEDO, users no longer need to juggle multiple different applications—everything is readily available. The company aims to strike the ideal balance between specificity and generalization.

The second point of differentiation is its customer-centric approach, which enables the company to understand client needs and provide tailored solutions. Its support is highly regarded for its quality and speed, with an average response time of 4 minutes over a year. This close relationship results in an exceptional user experience, strong customer loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.

## Why This Feature on Forbes Matters

Being featured on Forbes is not just an honor; it’s a reflection of the significant impact WEDO is making in the business world. As we continue to expand our platform and grow our user base, this feature serves as a milestone, validating our approach and the value we provide to our clients.

With over 600 companies using WEDO across Europe and beyond, we’re excited about the future and the role our platform will play in transforming how businesses collaborate.

## Conclusion

At WEDO, we are committed to providing businesses with the tools they need to streamline collaboration, ensure data security, and enhance productivity. Our feature on Forbes highlights the impact we’ve had on the business world, but we’re not stopping there. As we continue to innovate with AI-driven tools and security enhancements, we’re excited to see how WEDO will shape the future of work.

**Interested in learning more? Contact us today to schedule a demo or learn more about our platform.**

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

In an exciting feature on Forbes, Alexia Borg sat down with WEDO’s co-founders to discuss the company’s incredible journey from a small Swiss startup to a global player in the collaborative software industry. 

Antoine Sudan and David Dutch invited by Forbes

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Forbes Highlights WEDO in “Successful Companies”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

### 1. Meeting preparation and management

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

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

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

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

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

### 2. Project management and task tracking

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

### 4. Transmission of information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meeting minutes

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