## The organization of a Board of Directors

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

 🗓️ 👩‍💼👨‍💼🧑‍💼

## 1. Prepare your CA

### 📂 Organize the documents

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

###  ✍🏻 Prepare reports

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

###  ❔ Identify key issues

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

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

##  2. Set the agenda

###  📣 Determine what topics to address

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

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

###  📋 Create your base frame

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

###  🗣️ Choose theme presenters

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

###  📎 Joignez les fichiers aux bonnes thématiques

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

##  3. Manage access to the meeting

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

##  4. Integrate the votes

#### 🗳️ Determine voters

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

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

####  ☑️ Allocate shares

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

####  🟢 Require quorum

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

####  👤 Allow anonymous voting

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

####  🚫 Hide voting results until close

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

####  🔨 Write pre-decisions

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

##  5. Write the minutes

###  💻 Writing by the Secretary

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

#### ✍🏻 Paragraphs

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

#### 🗳️ Votes

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

#### 🔨 Decisions

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

#### ✅ Tasks

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

###  👀 Private note-taking by members

####  ✏️ Add private notes to the minutes

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

####  📝 Annotate attached files

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

##  6. Follow up on tasks

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

##  7. Give access to the minutes

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

##  ✅ WEDO's advantages for your CA management

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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Organize your Board of Directors with WEDO

## What is agility?

According to Jérôme Barrand, head of the Institute of Organisational Agility in Grenoble, agility is the capacity of a company to be reactive, flexible and innovative. It must also be able to anticipate future changes in order to adapt to them. It cannot wait for the environment in which it operates to force it to do so.

To be able to face these challenges, human-sized work teams must be learning, connected and autonomous. The aim is for everyone to find their place in the team and thus have a global vision of the company's organisational systems. Also, the agile culture advocates a light but sufficient hierarchical framework. The human element as well as communication are central to the organisation[^1] [^2]

## SCRUM method

Different methods exist to help companies in their quest for agility. SCRUM, which originated in the IT world, but which is becoming more and more popular, is one of them and is very widespread. This iterative and adaptive method always seeks a collective optimum[^3]

The first form of SCRUM appeared in an article by Takeuchi and Nonaka in 1986. They compare the so-called traditional approach to "a relay race" and the so-called holistic approach to "a rugby scrum" (SCRUM). "The relay race is a development process where teams of specialists pass the baton to each other once they have completed their task.  In contrast, in the "rugby" approach, where specialists try to complete the task by passing the ball from back to front (as in a rugby team), the development process is totally different. [^4]

Indeed, the SCRUM method, officially developed by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland a few years after this first article, is based on short cycles called "sprints". These usually last between one and four weeks. Each sprint begins with a planning meeting where the team defines the goals to be achieved and the tasks to be accomplished. During the sprint, the team works independently to achieve the defined goals. Every day, the team meets for a short follow-up meeting called "Daily SCRUM". During this meeting, each team member presents what they have accomplished since the last meeting and what they plan to do during the day.

At the end of each sprint, the team meets for a retrospective, during which they evaluate their progress and look for ways to improve the development process for the next sprints.

The SCRUM method is particularly useful for projects that are subject to frequent changes or where it is difficult to plan all the details in advance. It allows for rapid delivery of high quality products, close collaboration between team members and better responsiveness to changes. [^5]

Unlike traditional project methods, SCRUM does not plan years in advance and present a solution only at the end of the project. The goal of SCRUM is to divide the business requirements into the smallest possible increments and thus deliver many, finished results in short intervals. In this way, it is possible to take action after each sprint should a requirement or priority change. This not only saves time and costs, but also keeps the process agile and customer-oriented.

## Why WEDO is ideal for an agile company

In accordance with the above explanations, it is understood that the agile method is in fact a culture and a state of mind that must be spread throughout the company. David Preti, in his article "Doing Agile" versus "Being Agile", also shares this vision:

>Agility is not defined by a set of practices, but rather by a state of mind that one cultivates.   [^6]

WEDO presents itself as the ideal tool to cultivate this mindset and share an agile culture within the company. Indeed, thanks to WEDO, it is possible to efficiently manage the different types of meetings of the SCRUM method, but not only. The collaborative platform also allows you to be permanently connected to information and to your team members. Whether you are working from home or from the office, communication is easy. In addition, WEDO's teams and workspaces make the company more responsive and better organised. Each team member can easily consult their tasks and have a clear overview of what they have to do. This task overview can also be displayed in Kanban view, which is particularly useful for project management.

## The limits of the agile method

But then why hasn't the agile method, which sounds so beneficial in theory, already found its way into all companies?

The fifteenth edition of the State of Agile report, produced by the company [digital.ai](https://www.notion.so/Marketing-Archive-54946373b74e43eb98b5d502b858035c), provides some answers. According to the report, the main problems identified by more than 1,380 people worldwide in the adoption and practice of agile are the following:

- Inconsistent processes and practices between teams - 46%.
- Organisational culture not aligned with agile values - 43%.
- Resistance to change from the overall organisation - 42%.
- Lack of competence/experience with agile methods - 42%.
- Insufficient leadership involvement - 41%.
- Insufficient management support and sponsorship - 40%.

The report states that the main challenges mentioned above have remained largely unchanged in recent years. [^7]

Interestingly, then, these problems are not new and unknown. Other articles on this topic also point out the same limitations.

In summary, it is essential for a company that wants to implement agility sustainably into its structure to consider the points mentioned above. The list is certainly not exhaustive, but it will help the company avoid certain mistakes on its way to agility. One thing is certain: agility is a real challenge, and as the saying goes, "it's worth the effort".


**Sources :**

[^1]: BARRAND, Jérôme, 2010. L’entreprise agile : agir pour une performance durable. Paris : Dunod. Stratégies et management. ISBN 978-2-10-054346-5. 658.515.

[^2]: BARRAND, Jérôme, 2012. Le manager agile : agir autrement pour la survie des entreprises. 2e éd. Paris : Dunod. Stratégies et management. ISBN 978-2-10-057460-5. 658.401.

[^3]: SCHMITT, Christophe, 2016. De la complexité de l’action dans les organisations. ISBN 978-2-940384-36-05.

[^4]: TAKEUCHI, Hirotaka et NONAKA, Ikujiro, 1986. Stop running the relay race and take up rugby. Harvard Business Review. 1986. pp. 11.

[^5]: SCHWABER, Ken et SUTHERLAND, Jeff, 2020. The Scrum Guide:The Definitive Guide to Scrum: The Rules of the Game. novembre 2020.

[^6]: PRETI, David, « Faire de l’Agilité » versus « être Agile » - Blogue Savoir Agile. [en ligne]. [Consulté le 6 décembre 2022]. Disponible à l’adresse : [https://savoiragile.com/2017/02/07/faire-de-lagilite-versus-etre-agile/](https://savoiragile.com/2017/02/07/faire-de-lagilite-versus-etre-agile/)

[^7]: [DIGITAL.AI](http://digital.ai/), 2021. 15th Annual State Of Agile Report. 2021.

In a world where everything is moving fast and change is permanent, a company must be agile. This article will explain how to become more agile in order to better face this growing complexity.

Drawings representing the concepts of agility in project management

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When agility becomes a necessity

From new features to milestones, relive the year 2022 with us. ✨

A look back at the objectives reached in 2022

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2022 | Our Year in Review

"With WEDO, all meetings are managed efficiently and easily by our bank and our Board of Directors." 🚀

Check out the testimonial of Antonella Andenmatten, team leader at Raiffeisen Bank Mischabel-Matterhorn, who tells us how they use WEDO.🎬

Thanks to the whole team at Erlebnisbank - Raiffeisen Mischabel-Matterhorn for the kind welcome and the time spent to make this video!

Don't forget to activate the subtitles to access the English version.

🎦: www.air-production.ch

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"With WEDO, all meetings are managed efficiently and easily by our bank and our Board of Directors."

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Check out the testimonial of Antonella Andenmatten, team leader at Raiffeisen Bank Mischabel-Matterhorn

"Thanks to WEDO, we optimize our time and productivity, while lightening the collaborative load of our teams. "🚀

Check out the testimonial of Laurent Murith, Director of the Bulle branch at ETF, who shares his experience with WEDO.🎬

Thanks to the great team at ETF for taking the time to help us create this video!

Don't forget to activate the subtitles to access the English version.

🎦: www.air-production.ch

::youtube-video{#-YiznZnxqcg}

"Thanks to WEDO, we optimize our time and productivity, while lightening the collaborative load of our teams. "

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Check out the testimonial of Laurent Murith, Director of the Bulle branch at ETF

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

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

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

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

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

 📋 Manage recurring procedures

---

## What hinders organizations from working together efficiently?

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

## Our solutions to improve collaboration within schools and faculties

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

### 3\. Prepare agendas collectively

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

### 4\. Highlight decisions made during meetings

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

### 5\. Delegate tasks in meetings

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

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

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

### 7\. Find information quickly

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

## WEDO is the ideal tool for Schools and Faculties

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

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

✅ Collaborative management of tasks through workspaces. 

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

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

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

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

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

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How does WEDO help schools and faculties improve their collaboration?

## Management of recurrent procedures: what are the challenges?

In administrative departments, process management is an integral part of daily activities. Procedures are often summarized as lists of tasks to be performed in a predefined order. While these steps are common and everyday for educational institutions, completing them can be difficult and may challenge the institution's quality assurance. Let's explore some common obstacles together:

* A large amount of information to process through different communication channels: internal documents and notes, emails, calls, letters, etc.
* Complex organization: many employees involved in the process.
* Transversal coordination (several departments and sites involved).
* Documents that are not up to date and follow-up files that are not very collaborative, even complex (spreadsheets, Excel sheets, Word documents).
* A lack of clarity in the tasks to be accomplished (no reference document or with incomplete explanations)
* A hybrid work mode: face-to-face and remote employees.
* A lack of global communication that can jeopardize the quality of execution.
* A staff leaving the company, which hinders the completion of a procedure in cases where the former employee had the necessary know-how and knowledge.

![WEDO-education-3.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/WEDO_education_3_f57f4a4685.png)

Does this list remind you of situations you have experienced? Do you work in the education sector and think your procedures' conduct could be improved?

WEDO offers you the **Templates and Checklists** feature that allows you to increase the efficiency and collaboration of your departments. Find out how to automate your institution's routine procedures by quickly creating templates and generating predefined task lists.

## We help you manage your recurring procedures

### 1\. Model your recurring procedures

#### ✅ List and assign tasks

Ensure the quality and monitoring of your internal processes by creating templates for each procedure. This way, the employees get a clear and structured overview of the processes in place and the tasks for which they are responsible.

#### 📅 Plan the tasks

For each task, define deadlines relative to a reference date. When you launch a checklist based on the template, the deadlines will be automatically generated. You can then distinguish :

* Tasks to be done before the reference date
* Tasks to be done on the reference date
* Tasks to be done after the reference date

#### ↗️ Sharing information

The templates will also allow you to transmit knowledge to employees while maintaining consistency in executing procedures. Train new employees efficiently by giving them access to the checklist templates that concern them.

#### 📋Modify template tasks at any time

Does a procedure need to be reviewed? Authorized users have easy access to the model's tasks to revise it.

### 2\. Launch a checklist when the procedure is to be performed

Is your template ready? All you have to do is launch a checklist to start a procedure! Then, your colleagues instantly receive the tasks they are responsible for in their personal space.

### 3\. Collaborate and communicate easily

Communicate with your colleagues by commenting on the tasks from each current checklist. Your colleagues will be instantly notified and can exchange with you.

### 4\. Follow the progress of the procedures in progress

With this feature, your follow-up is assured, and you can :

* Analyze the progress of a specific checklist.
* Get a global view of the progress of all current checklists.
* Sort checklists according to their progress percentage or their reference date.

## Education sector: standardized procedures to ensure quality

Ensuring the quality of services to customers and partners is a significant challenge for training institutions. Many institutions obtain certifications and labels, such as the ISO standards (21001:2018) for education and training organizations. The administrative requirements to obtain these certifications are often tedious. WEDO will assist you throughout the implementation of these particular procedures. Once your institution is certified, the Templates and Checklists will ensure quality in executing your institution's internal processes.

## Some examples of procedures you could manage with WEDO in your institution

### **Management, Administration & Secretariat**

* Organization of the school start
* Material orders
* Preparation of the timetables
* Preparation of the curricula
* Annual budget
* Organization of graduation ceremonies
* Certifications & labels
* Administration of the alumni network

### **Human Resources Management**

* Entry of an employee
* Leave of an employee
* Recruitment process

### **Admissions Office**

* Student application
* Student matriculation
* Student visa

### **Pedagogical groups**

* Exam preparation
* Pedagogical days
* Organization of activities
* Organization of congresses

### **Academic events**

* Open house
* Alumni meetings
* Information events
* Special events

### **Marketing & Communication**

* Communication campaigns
* Marketing campaigns
* Translations

---

Want to test our tool to manage recurring processes in your educational institution?

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

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

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

In administrative services, process management is an integral part of daily activities. Do you work in the education sector and think your procedures could be improved? WEDO offers the Templates and Checklists feature to help you track and collaborate on your processes. In this article, you will find out how to automate the recurring processes in your educational institution.

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Schools & Faculties: automate your recurring procedures

## How to prepare for the summer vacations and organize the workload of your work teams during the vacations?

The months of July and August are usually times of reduced teams. As a result, it is not always easy to collaborate efficiently during the summer period. To compensate for the absence of employees during the vacations is not easy. It is therefore necessary to organize in advance and to prepare as much as possible the periods of prolonged absences so that the teams which remain in function can work at ease and as normal. Being proactive in order to manage the summer vacations as well as possible is the key to success!

💡 We therefore give you **5 tips** to best prepare for your team's vacation.

## 1 | Prepare your meetings in advance

If you manage the minutes of your meetings, make sure to prepare the agendas of your meetings in advance so that your deputies can simply feed the items on the agenda and manage the meeting on the day. They will be able to add the files to discuss during the meeting as well as various comments or private notes. The people who will be absent during the summer time, will also be able to complete the topics for which they are responsible in advance and in order to better communicate with the whole team.

## 2 | Communicate upstream on the tasks in progress

Very often, the fulfillment of a task can impact several members of the team, that's why it is important to share the information useful to the tasks with the different people involved. But communication goes both ways. In fact, don't forget to keep your absent colleagues informed of the latest news regarding your work by leaving them a comment about the tasks concerned.

## 3 | Send meeting minutes to those who are absent

To keep everyone on the same page, it is important to keep clear and complete meeting minutes. This will ensure that those who are not present, will be able to read them when they are back. Even though your colleagues are on vacation, don't forget to send them the minutes of missed meetings, asking them to acknowledge receipt and read them. This will ensure that your objectives are met while maintaining optimal collaboration despite the absence of certain team members.

## 4 | Prepare the work to be done during your absence

In a team, we are not all working on the same project or on the same tasks. This is why you must prepare your deputies by informing them of your work responsibilities. Not only in terms of how to carry them out, but also with regards to the essential information they will need to have in their hands to meet the objectives : contacts of the partners concerned, files, e-mails, quotes, minutes attached to the tasks or meetings, etc. In return, and once you have prepared your personal work, ask your colleagues to foresee any delays due to vacations and to update their task deadlines before they leave.

## 5 | Delegate tasks to be done during your absence

For any task that cannot wait until a collaborator returns from vacation, ask to delegate the task to a deputy colleague, by defining clearly the process for carrying out the task in the description of the task or by creating a checklist for more complex jobs. The idea is really to prepare the team for your absence and above all to distribute the workload fairly so that all the tasks to be done are carried out. Don't forget to attach files or emails related to the tasks, as well as useful contacts. An efficient handover will allow the whole team to spend the summer in complete serenity.

---

💡 By applying these **5 very simple tips**, you'll guarantee an efficient collaboration during the summer season, despite the absence of many colleagues. All it takes is a little forecasting and preparation to achieve this essential goal! 😃

![5-tips-for-summer-collaboration.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/5_tips_for_summer_collaboration_f7e1b0d91e.png)

## WEDO helps you to anticipate the best collaboration in summer

WEDO allows you to ensure traceability of information communicated during meetings and progress of projects during the absence of your colleagues or/and employees. Our collaborative platform provides you with a few tips to prepare for this summer period and ensure a smooth return to work.

1. You can **prepare your agenda in advance** and complete your topics with paragraphs, decisions, tasks, files, private notes and images.
2. You can **comment on the different tasks** to exchange relevant information with the different observers.
3. You have the possibility to **send the reports by email** directly from the platform or **export them in PDF format**.
4. You are able to **update the deadlines of the tasks** in progress to anticipate the different deadlines.
5. You can **delegate tasks to your colleagues** in one click to reorganize the work of your team. It is also possible to **attach files to tasks** in progress. Finally, the _Templates & Checklists_ feature allows you to **modeling a workflow** to inform your replacements of the process to be followed.

WEDO is the ideal tool that allows you to collaborate efficiently in any situation!

---

Summer vacations often come with their share of disruptions and stress, related to the absence of employees. How can you ensure the business continuity of your company, the frequent follow-up of your projects and the transparent internal communication during the vacations? WEDO allows you to handle this time of the year with peace of mind, thanks to its many collaborative features: meeting follow-up, task management and checklist launches. Discover 5 tips to prepare your team for the vacations.

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5 tips to prepare for summer collaboration

## Manage the duration of your meetings

WEDO's mission is to optimize the duration of your meetings. This new update is in line with this ambition! You can now set the time allocated to each topic on your agenda. This way, you can keep an eye on the duration of your meeting and make sure that you deal with all the points within the maximum time limit. Discover also the latest optimizations made to the meeting module in order to facilitate even more the management and the follow-up of meetings.

## What are the new features to discover?

### Set durations for your topics ⏳

Define a duration for each topic. The time in which you should address the topic is displayed in your table of contents.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_05_1_set_durations_for_your_topics_8753edbd1b.gif)

💡 You can manually add a duration to each topic or distribute an identical duration to all topics in your meeting. With one click, you can easily reset the duration calculation!

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_05_2_set_durations_for_your_topics_f9d50ef905.gif)

If the total duration of your topics exceeds the time allotted to the meeting, the timing appears in red in the topics that cannot be treated within the defined duration. At the bottom of the agenda, you will find the time per topic according to the total duration of the meeting.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_05_3_set_durations_for_your_topics_d43528f001.gif)

## Easily rule on your topics during the meeting

### Recurring topic 🔁

In your weekly meeting, a topic comes up on the agenda every week? Make this topic recurring so that they automatically appear on the agenda of upcoming meetings.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_05_4_recurring_topic_f762765a34.gif)

💡 An icon 🔁 appears in the table of contents to see which topics are recurring. When the icon turns blue, it means that you have dealt with a recurring item during the current meeting. The blue icons therefore correspond to the stage _Ongoing_.

ℹ️ If the icon is grayed out, it means that you have simply scheduled the recurrence of the topic but have not yet ruled on it in the current meeting. The grayed out icons therefore correspond to the stage _Preparation_.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_05_5_recurring_topic_cc7709f1e7.gif)

### Address topic ✅

During the meeting, move through your agenda by clicking on **Address** when a topic does not require further discussion. In the table of contents on the left, the topics you have dealt with are followed by an icon ✅.

💡 The green icon informs you that this topic has been dealt with and will not be revisited at a future meeting.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_05_6_address_topic_9bf786cd1f.gif)

### Revisit a topic ➡️

It often happens that a topic is discussed at several meetings. Click on **Revisit** if you wish to discuss the topic again during the next meeting. From the button with the three vertical dots **`⋮`** you can choose when you want to revisit the topic.

💡 An icon ➡️ appears in the table of contents for all reviewed topics. When the icon turns **blue**, it means that you have dealt with a reviewed item during the current meeting. The blue icons therefore correspond to the stage _Ongoing_.

ℹ️ If the icon is grayed out, it means that you have simply scheduled the review of the topic but have not yet ruled on it in the current meeting. The grayed out icons therefore correspond to the stage _Preparation_.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_05_7_revisit_a_topic_d6a59eea3e.gif)

## Show/hide meetings in the add meeting window 👁️

Now you can choose to hide meetings templates in the add meeting window. This way, you can keep only the templates you use regularly.

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_05_8_show_hide_meetings_f947d943de.gif)

## Hide progress footer 🧑🏻‍🎓

Don't want to see the footer with the embedded training? You can hide it in a few clicks!

![](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/2022_05_9_hide_progress_footer_d15af07b15.gif)

# What are the advantages of this update? ✨

* You can carefully manage the duration of your meeting by allocating time to each topic on your agenda.
* You can quickly see if the number of topics and their duration exceed the total time dedicated to the meeting.
* Thanks to the icons in the table of contents, you can see if the topic is recurrent, reviewed or treated.
* The colors of the icons in the table of contents allow you to see if the topic is scheduled as _recurring_ or revisited (gray icon) or if you have decided on the topic during the current meeting (blue icon).
* You only display what is useful to you on your interface - you can hide the meeting templates and the training integrated in the footer.

---

This update is based on feedback from our customers! The numerous feedbacks from our users motivate the continuous development of our platform. We hope these new features will make your work of preparing, writing and following up meetings easier. 😃

With this new update, we allow you to manage the duration of your meetings. You can now set a timer for each topic of your meeting. We also take advantage of this update to bring some improvements, especially concerning the functionality to decide on your meeting topics. Discover all the new features available today on our platform.

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Manage the duration of your meetings

Today, there is more public interest in the activities of the financial industry than ever before. Data protection is essential to prevent cyberattacks that can lead to data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage. The banking and financial industries must invest in robust data security measures: employee training, access controls, encryption, and regular assessments are essential to any effective strategy.

Last November, the business management software "Winbiz", was the victim of a virulent cyberattack leading to the temporary shutdown of the software. The software host was storing sensitive information.

The software used by organizations represents a significant risk. Today, cloud platforms are considered as irreplaceable allies of administrative professions: they help us manage human resources, track projects, share files and content, build a customer history, etc. However, each more sensitive than the last, this data must be subject to strict and robust measures to prevent cyber threats and to comply with regulatory requirements.

The advent of telecommuting in recent years reinforces the importance of data protection through the software employees use. Thus, the choice of software must be documented for a secure integration. The criteria to be taken into account during the selection are the following:


### Data hosting

#### Data storage location:

Some companies are surprised to learn that their data is stored in a third country. SaaS provider is free to host their data in any country they choose, regardless of where their headquarters are located. Knowing the hosting country is crucial to ensure that the country in question has strong, strict and transparent legal and political stability.

If the data is stored in a trustworthy country, ensuring that the provider does not practice "temporary data transfer" is also relevant. This phenomenon, more frequently used by global IT providers, implies that the data passes through foreign servers before being stored in Switzerland. It is, therefore, essential to verify that this transfer is legal and complies with GDPR standards.

#### Reliability of the hosting provider:

Certifications standardize the information security of web hosts. Among them, the most recognized certification is ISO/IEC 27001.


### Data protection certification

Companies that outsource their critical systems and processes need to ensure that vendors have strict, independent controls over data management. One such independent certification is SOC 2, issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and used by organizations in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry. It assures customers that the organization has designed and implemented adequate controls for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. This standard has existed in the United States for many years and has a worldwide equivalent in ISO 270001.

![soc certification.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/Frame_7soc_certification_3fa9275dcb.png)

Switzerland is considered to be behind the US and the rest of Europe concerning SOC 2 reporting. The first significant moves towards certification were made by large companies subject to strict regulations, such as the financial sector. These companies require their service providers to comply with the SOC 2 standard and provide an annual report to meet internal and external requirements. *1

### Authentication and account access

Software of any kind is a critical source of information for an organization. Thus, access to the tool must be secure, so it is recommended to inquire about the availability of the following features:

- Availability of two-factor authentication
- Availability of SAML authentication, if relevant for the customer
- Possibility of managing rights in a personalized way within the tool, in order to only give access to information to the persons concerned.

### Encryption

If a company uses a web application, it must ensure that the app in question uses an HTTPS connection secured by SSL certificates to prevent espionage on the web and email correspondence. In addition to encryption in transit, data encryption at rest prevents a situation like the one experienced by WinBiz and its customers.

### WEDO: the secure solution for collaboration in the financial sector

Sensitive topics and privacy policies are at the heart of employees' daily tasks in the financial industry. From task management to the content of all kinds of meetings, such as team meetings, bilateral talks, customer/insurer meetings, and board meetings, the traceability of discussions is as crucial as their discretion.

The WEDO SaaS software, developed and hosted in Switzerland, is a collaborative platform designed to address security challenges in sensitive sectors. Thanks to its task manager and its customizable meeting module, the platform makes it possible to share files and centralize the information necessary for team collaboration while giving the possibility to configure the access rights of each user.


::button-secondary[Learn more about security]{link="/security"}


## They trusted WEDO to manage their internal collaboration:
![wedo-customer-board-of-directors.png](https://wedo-assets.sos-ch-gva-2.exo.io/wedo_customer_board_of_directors_d91a634e29.png)

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



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

[^2]: Source : [KPMG](https://kpmg.com/ch/de/blogs/home/posts/2021/01/soc-switzerland.html)

Today, there is more public interest in the activities of the financial industry than ever before. Data protection is essential to prevent cyberattacks that can lead to data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage.

Teamwork

Ready to dive in?Start your free trial today.