Meeting cadencetemplate.
Pick one rhythm. Commit to it. Then protect it. Cadence works when it is predictable: same time, same people, decision-led. It replaces the status meeting that reports activity with one that asks what shipped and what needs deciding.
Fill it in. Copy it out.
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Appendix B5Cadence Template
Pick one. Commit to it. Then protect it. Cadence works when it is predictable: same time, same people, decision-led.
CADENCE (Track & Tune) [option] Decision-led, not update-led. Pre-read is proof points, not status slides. Output: approvals, escalations, trade-offs confirmed. Same people: [who] Same time: [when] Next decision required: [decision] Cadence script: ’What shipped since last time?' ’What are we shipping next?' ’What decision do we need to protect momentum?' ’What have we learned that changes the plan?' — From Just F*cking Ship It · voltsmethod.com/learn
If someone answers 'what shipped since last time?' with 'we had loads of meetings', you are allowed to pause for a beat. Not rude. Just diagnostic.
From Appendix B5, Just F*cking Ship It by Matthew Barrington-Packer
When to reach for it,
and how to fill it in.
Use it when
- Your weekly meeting reports activity, and nothing changes between weeks.
- Decisions wait for “the next steering group”, which is three weeks away.
- People attend because it is in the diary, not because anything is decided.
How to fill it in
- Pick a rhythm that matches the uncertainty: weekly when it is high, fortnightly when it is not.
- Fix the same people. Rotating attendees means re-explaining every time.
- Fix the same time, and protect it.
- End every session by naming the next decision required.
Where it usually goes wrong.
If the meeting would run the same without a single decision, it is a broadcast. Send an email.
A cadence that moves every week is not a cadence. It is a series of favours.
When someone answers “what shipped?” with that, pause for a beat. Not rude. Just diagnostic.
Quick answers
What is a meeting cadence?
A fixed, repeating rhythm of decision meetings: the same people at the same time, each one asking what shipped, what changed and what needs deciding.
How often should project meetings be?
As often as decisions are needed. Weekly suits fast-moving, uncertain work. Fortnightly suits steadier delivery. Daily is for crises, not comfort.
How do you stop meetings becoming status updates?
Send status in writing beforehand and spend the meeting on the next decision required. See the five-beat update for the written part.
The rest of the toolkit.
A template fixes ambiguity.
The book fixes the room.
This is one of the tools from Just F*cking Ship It, the five-move VOLTS Method for getting stuck work shipped. Read it in an afternoon. Ship something by Friday.