How to run the weekly owner's meeting
The weekly owner's meeting is done when every open item has an owner, an action and a date. If a line is missing a name, a next step, or a day, you have not finished the meeting.
You are not there to tour the job. The weekly report already says what happened. This meeting exists so the open items leave with commitments that will still be true next week.
Start with the open list
Keep one agenda and use it every week. Open actions come first. Read last week's lines before anyone brings up something new: done, still open, or blocked. A late item stays at the top until it is closed or it gets a new date. Drawings, photos, and fresh requests wait. If you open with new business, the old list ages while everyone talks.
Write the line before you move on
When an item comes up, write it down before the conversation leaves it. One line. Three parts.
- Owner.One person. Not a company, and not "the team." If two people could own it, name the one who will.
- Action.A verb plus a result someone can check. "Issue the revised lobby sketch." "Approve or reject the hardware package." "Confirm the delivery date in writing." "Discuss" is not an action. It does not say what done looks like.
- Date.A calendar day. Not "next meeting," and not "as soon as possible." If the real date is unknown, the action is to set the date, and that action still gets a date.
A decision is the same kind of line. Write what was decided, who decided it, and the day it takes effect. If the owner still has to choose, the choice stays on the open list with a name and a date. It does not leave the room as a maybe.
Read it back, then stop
Before you adjourn, read the open list out loud. Every line: owner, action, date. The person named confirms it while everyone is still there. If you cannot read a line because the name or the date is blank, it is not on the list. Finish it or drop it.
Send the list the same day. Next week's meeting starts on that list, not on whatever showed up in the inbox overnight.