Some may think that board meetings within various companies and institutions are merely routine meetings. However, this is a completely false belief, as these meetings are the foundation of any organization striving for professional success. They are used to make important strategic decisions, determine the company's future path, and much more. Any failure in meeting management can have a significant negative impact on the organization's progress. To manage meetings successfully without wasting additional time and resources, you must ensure that meeting management elements are fully followed.
This article will explore the essential elements of professional board meeting management, starting with prior preparation and scheduling, all the way to session management, documenting meeting minutes, and then institutionally following up on the recommendations and decisions made. It will also explain how digital transformation tools like DocSuite can enhance the effectiveness of these meetings.

Why is board meeting management important?

Board meetings are the primary driver of everything that happens within any organization. They review previously established plans, discuss performance, set future strategies, and much more. Professional meeting management includes the following:

Performance analysis and strategy definition: This involves discussing and analyzing challenges and opportunities, and developing strategic plans responsible for determining the company's path and future direction.
Accountability and performance evaluation: One of the duties of board meetings is to evaluate the company's performance by reviewing various reports, such as financial, operational, sales, and marketing reports, among others. This then involves evaluating the performance of each aspect and ensuring that pre-set objectives are met.
Consensus and cooperation: Board meetings unify visions among board members and promote teamwork to achieve desired goals.
Risk management: Organizations face numerous challenges and risks, so board meetings must be held to discuss these risks and develop strategies to address them, ensuring business continuity and preventing negative impacts.
Therefore, it is important to ensure that each meeting is well planned beforehand, and to set the objectives to be discussed in order to manage the meetings successfully and positively.

What are the elements of successful meeting management?
Effective meeting management requires a structured approach that encompasses several stages, from pre-planning to institutional follow-up after the meeting.

Preparation in advance
Preparation in advance includes several steps that must be carefully planned before any meeting. These steps are as follows:

Define the objectives and agenda:
Purpose: Before scheduling meetings, ensure that the meeting's objectives are clearly defined. For example, is the goal to review and analyze performance? Is the goal to make decisions? Or is it to discuss a specific situation? Defining the objective ensures that the meeting is managed professionally and achieves its intended purpose.

Agenda: This outlines the items to be discussed in the board meeting and the time allocated for each item. The agenda is sent to all participants in the meeting well in advance to allow for adequate preparation and contribute to a professional meeting.

Sending documents:
Naturally, any meeting includes discussing reports related to the established objectives, such as financial reports, performance reports, and project reports. Therefore, all documents related to the topics to be discussed must be sent along with the agenda. This allows participants to review and study the agenda before the meeting, which helps avoid wasted meeting time.

Setting the Time:
Scheduling the meeting should be done by ensuring that the appropriate time is chosen for all participants, ensuring on-time attendance and that no one is absent. Additionally, the board meeting space should be equipped with the necessary tools, such as display screens and a stable internet connection. If the meeting is being held remotely, a reliable meeting platform should be available.

All of these points can be easily identified and communicated to board members using digital transformation systems such as DocSuite. This allows for the creation of a smart calendar to notify everyone of the scheduled time and to attach all relevant documents and agendas.

Managing the Meeting Flow
The chairperson leads the board meeting and is responsible for ensuring that the meeting runs smoothly and efficiently. Their role includes the following:

The meeting must start on time, welcome the members, and then reiterate the purpose of the meeting and the agenda items to be discussed.

Ensure everyone is committed to discussing everything previously scheduled and adhering to the time allotted for each topic.
Remind the meeting of the most important points and decisions made at the end of the meeting.
Writing Meeting Minutes
Institutional follow-up after the meeting relies on the minutes document, which accurately and in detail records all discussions and decisions. Meeting minutes contain the following elements:

Date, time, and location of the meeting.
List of board members present and absent.
The agenda as presented at the beginning of the meeting.
A summary of what was discussed under each item.
Decisions made, how they were implemented, and who is responsible for following up on them.
A timeline for implementing decisions and recommendations.
The signatures of both the meeting chair and secretary to approve the minutes.
Meeting minutes must be sent within 24-48 hours after the meeting concludes.
This is where DocSuite comes into play. It allows for electronically creating meeting minutes, assigning a follow-up officer with responsibility for each decision made, and setting a timeline. This helps in...