Template

Meeting SOP Template

A consistent process for recurring meetings — so they stay useful instead of becoming routine noise.

Before the meeting

• Purpose written in one line
• Agenda shared 24h in advance
• Pre-reads sent with agenda (if any)
• Attendees confirmed — no "optional" invitees

During the meeting

1. Start on time — do not wait for late arrivals
2. State the purpose in 30 seconds
3. Work through agenda (timebox each item)
4. Someone takes notes on decisions and action items live
5. Summarise action items in last 5 minutes with owners + due dates

Notes structure

• Date / time / attendees
• Purpose
• Decisions made
• Action items (what, who, by when)
• Next meeting date

After the meeting

• Send notes within 24 hours
• Check action items in next meeting — name names
• Retire the meeting if it has not produced decisions for 3 sessions running

Recurring meeting types

• Weekly team standup — 15 min, status + blockers
• Monthly ops review — 30-60 min, KPI walk-through
• Quarterly planning — 2-4 hours, priorities for next quarter
• 1:1s — 30 min, career + feedback focused

Signs a meeting should be killed

• Same status updates every week
• No decisions made
• Attendees often multi-tasking
• Action items rarely completed between sessions

Frequently asked questions

Can standups be async?

Yes — daily async via Slack works for small distributed teams. Save live time for harder discussions.