PMO｜Project Meeting Structure

Standardizing meeting convention demonstrates the PMO's professionalism. The standard defines the type of meetings, their naming convention, and planning recommendations. The following are suggested : 

• (Must Have) ​Project Kick-Off Meeting marks the official start of project execution and PMO engagement. It is a critical project management checkpoint and should be taken seriously. 
• (Must Have) Project Status Meeting is another crucial project meeting besides the project kick-off. The meeting can be scheduled regularly with frequency to be Weekly / Monthly / Bi-Weekly, but weekly is recommended. 
  • Name:  <Project Name> <Frequency> "Status Meeting". 
  • Example: When Project Name is Zeus, the project status meeting name can be Zeus Weekly Status Meeting​
• (Optional) A Project Planning Meeting is required when the project plan needs adjustments and in-depth discussion. The frequency should sync up with the project status meeting. 
• (Optional) Daily Standup Meeting is required when frequent communications are needed within the project team, especially during Agile project execution.
  • Name: ​<Project Name> "Daily Standup" 
  • Example: For Project Name Zeus, the meeting invite subject should be: Zeus Daily Standup
• (Optional) Working Session Meetings are ad-hoc meetings that hold detailed breakout discussions. The meeting needs to be scheduled as soon as the demand is identified. It's recommended to announce these meetings to permit anyone who likes to join the sessions. 
  • Name: <Project Name> <Meeting Title>. The meeting title should reflect the reason for the meeting in short. 
  • Example: For Project Name Zeus,  the meeting name can be Zeus Discussion of PII Dashboard
• (Recommended ) Steering Committee Meeting is required when a leadership update or executive decision is needed during project execution. 
  • Name: <Project Name> "Steering Committee Meeting." 
  • Example: For Project Name Zeus, the meeting name can be: Zeus Steering Committee Meeting
• (Must Have) Project Review Meeting should be scheduled with PMO to assess and mitigate risks and implement project governance. 
  • Name: <Project Name> " Project Review Meeting" 
  • Example: For Project Name Zeus, the meeting name can be: Zeus Project Review Meeting​​

To standardize, PMO needs to give clear instructions, explain the importance, and continuously calibrate project managers' behaviors. ​