I left off on Meeting Vault from the last journaling session. So I definitely think we need some sort of Meeting Vault, whether it's contained somewhere separate or within the context of somewhere else, that's fine. So if you actually look at it, these vaults follow the TLDR model as well, semi-accidentally. Idea Vault is Thinking. Media Vault is Learning. Wisdom Vault is Doing. Meeting Vault is Relating. So let's say the Meeting Vault is separate. Let's go through the same exercise.
Current Added Value
Transparency with all meetings
Structure for meetings
Meeting notes in 1 place, not (only) on local computer
When we had meetings with internal or external folks
Current Reduced Friction
Accessing meeting notes and action items more easily
Same meeting structure for internal, external, etc. meetings
Can organize / sort / filter by date / participants, etc.
Future Added Value
Meeting minutes from all meetings (internal and external)
Meeting action items that's related to meetings
More integration into Wisdom Vault so increased overall value in the system
More IP so increased liquidation value
Future Reduced Friction
Easy for new hires to see all the meetings we've had and what we've learned from whom
Why we haven't bought all the way into Asana is because there is no 1 singular system that we all agree upon. We're getting closer, but still a long ways to go.
Current Reduced Value
People don't actually use it
Current Added Friction
People changing / adding steps in their process
Future Reduced Value
Just sits there in Asana as another board to archive / update
Future Added Friction
1 more thing to outline / document for new hires
Looking at all these, all the vaults have similar types of bullet points in each of the 8 quadrant sections. So it's really an overarching Vault system / layer in this 2U Operating System that is vital. It'll scale naturally because as there are more things to keep track of that require some sort of database, we can create more. Which is similar to what I've done in my Wisdome page, which has all my Vaults and other databases. Just once people get used to it, they can see the value in it and it'll become 2nd nature.
Within meetings there are the subtopics of meeting types and templates. It's actually similar to what I had already created but no one but me actually uses it with the meeting templates.
What types of meetings are there?
Internal & external
Recurring & one time / singular
Internal recurring like 1x1s, standups, weekly update meetings, Sprint Plannings, etc. This is probably the most time consuming on the calendar. Then there are internal singular meetings. Like Value Stream Mapping sessions, one-off discussion to resolve something. Then there are external recurring meetings like if we're meeting with an existing vendor / partner / freelancer. And finally external singular meetings, like an initial call with a vendor, for example.
In terms of time consumption, internal recurring is probably the most. And then it depends person by person what the next classifications are. Now that's a breakdown by "Who" and by "When?" What about the other questions?
"What?" That's a tough one to answer in the scope of a meeting. An easier place to start is "Why?" Why the meeting? That's the goal of the meeting. Why internal recurring meetings? So some are updates, some are discussions (both based on those updates and otherwise), some are brainstorming, some are prioritization, some resolution, and so on. So a way it goes is someone brings up a point on the agenda → {update & no comment; question from initiator; question from listeners; disagreement from listeners} → {resolve immediately; action item to research / other work; action item to brainstorm}.
(see pics for my own brainstorming and diagramming)
So the way discussions go a lot of times are Question → Question → Answer → Question, and so on, in a linear fashion. That way only 1 of the 4 questions get resolved. When we like closure, resolution. Someone needs to keep track of the unclosed question loops because otherwise they just breed more confusion. There needs to be some resolution to that agenda item / discussion point. Some conversations don't necessarily need a resolution and that's fine, but do we ask ourselves which ones do and which ones don't? And do we categorize them incorrectly unconsciously? Do we try to find resolutions to things that can't be resolved? Do we keep things unresolved that should have an action item? Probably more often the former of the two if I had to choose. Can this be resolved? Does this need to be resolved? How can this be resolved?
Meeting correlation to reading comprehension and studying from Super Reading Mind Valley Quest. First create a map. Then skim. Then read. Same thing with meetings. Create a map. Then go through the agenda, then discuss and resolve. How do you create a map in a meeting context? What questions are we trying to answer in this meeting? It needs to be thought of as circular and like a loop instead of as a line. And instead of 2D sections of Agenda and Action Items, it's a 3D board. The agenda is ?s and statements (which are answers to previous questions, whether asked or unasked). You create a map through questions. Ok.
(see pic for simple table / chart)
Are any of the items related here? We need to ask questions at the beginning of the meeting so as the discussion unfolds, the answers are that much more apparent. Everyone take 2-3 min to add in the questions they want resolved in this meeting, either through an answer, more questions, or action items. Bonus for us visualizing all of the priority questions getting effectively resolved so we can feel that.
Journey of the agenda item. In the discussion phase, you have to identify if that's an enhancing question or a tangential question. The former requires no resolution to close the loop. The latter does. What does resolution for this agenda item look like? Is it a mutual understanding? A decision made? Or an action item to take? That's the map of each item. Then everything else will dictate the discussion. The how. The what is the agenda item. Resolution is the why. Participants the who.
So with that mindset in mind, how does that impact how meetings are conducted? 1) All participants insert agenda items along with the agenda item owner (can be questions or statements) prior to the meeting. 2) Prioritize agenda items (facilitator prioritizes before and if anyone has any objections, they should speak up). 3) agenda item owner says what type of resolution they want with this agenda item (common understanding by everyone, action item(s), or a decision made).
(see pic for rough Agenda Item Flow Chart)
4) People fill in questions under each agenda item that they want answered. 5) Probably done before but roles of the meeting would have been assigned. Facilitator, Scribe, Focus Keeper. Facilitator's job is to ensure agenda items are being discussed, people are called on for their input if required, moving things along from one item to the next. Scribe's job is to take proper notes. Here, it's to write down those questions that are 'sub-questions' of the original agenda item. They can then decide if it's an enhancing question or a tangential question. If it's enhancing, then they should write it 'under' the original item. If it's a tangential question, then they make a separate note or bullet of it. This way you can map how an agenda item progresses from inception to resolution. The Focus Keeper's job is to identify times when the convo is not productive to the resolution of the agenda item. And if it's not but it provides intentional distraction / relief briefly, then I think it's okay. If all this seems too rigid, it definitely is if you follow it strictly. But you also need to factor in the human element. Again, this is a general awareness framework. 6) Go through agenda items in prioritized order. Each agenda item that gets discussed needs to be resolved in some manner, even if it's just pushing it off to discuss in more detail offline or in another meeting.
So creating a map is mapping the agenda item to the resolution. 'Skimming' is to go through high-level each agenda item, or high priority agenda item so everyone is aware of what to look for. Then 'reading' is the actual discussion. Resolution will emerge naturally.
So with this awareness framework created, how does this translate into an action(able) framework? It's about creating a system that reduces friction and increases value when implemented. Ok, so after a little whiteboarding, came up with this way to organize everything in a meeting template. In Asana, you have Meeting Template(s) created. You can actually use the same / similar template for all 4 types of meetings I mentioned earlier. Instead of organizing things by type, like Agenda and Action Items, you organize them by topic. So it would look like:
Agenda Item #1
Resolution Type: [Understanding / Clarifying Action Item / Decision / Progressive Action Item]
Resolution: INSERT
Enhancing Questions
INSERT
Tangential Questions
INSERT
Discussion Notes
INSERT
You'd also want to have meeting participants and roles at the top so it's clear who's doing what. This also keeps the notes, questions, action items, etc. within the scope of the agenda item, so it's easier to track. The trick here then is to tie the action items from this into the action item database. That layer in this operating system will be discussed later. Before I resolve this though...
Current Added Value
Increased focus in meetings
Consistency in meetings, both internal and external
Increased awareness between questions and answers emerging naturally
Understanding resolution of discussion points
Increasing Asana buy in
Track questions that we're asking
Current Reduced Friction
Creating templates for each meeting so not starting from scratch every time
No need to have own personal note taking style and method
Future Added Value
More aspects in Operating System increases network effect / IP and overall liquidation value
Easy to look back in meeting vault of what meetings notes were
Able to see if the questions we were asking related to functions or topics have become better questions
Increased focus in other areas of work / life
Increase asking questions generally to inspire more curiosity
Future Reduced Friction
Seamless integration into 2U OS
Iteration is easier because we've started at a further along point
Current Reduced Value
Not practical in many meetings
People aren't bought in to be using this
Current Added Friction
More steps
More new things to get used to
Too complicated for people who don't have a systems thinking mindset like me
Future Reduced Value
Is there value if some meetings use it and others don't?
Future Added Friction
More things to teach new hires
Too many meetings in a meeting vault to access them easily
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