Template

Tactical meeting template

A short, regular team meeting that clears the operational issues stopping work this week — one issue at a time, ending each with a next action and an owner.

45 minutesFor A team or a circle in organisations that use Holacracy or similar self-managementAgenda room

Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

Check in3 min
- What is on your mind as we start?
Checklists and numbers5 min
- Did the recurring tasks happen? Any numbers to flag?
Updates on projects7 min
- Anything changed on your projects since last time?
Build the agenda5 min
- What issue do you need to bring today, in two or three words?
Work through each issue22 min
- What do you need, and from whom?
Closing round3 min
- Any reflection on this meeting?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Agenda built. Supplier invoices; Friday rota; website bug.

Supplier invoices. Mo needs a decision: pay the late one now? Yes — Ana pays today.

Friday rota. Kim needs cover 9–12; Sam takes it.

Website bug. Lee needs information: nobody else has seen it. Lee files it.

Running it well

Build the agenda live from what people bring, two or three words per item. Nobody needs to prepare slides.
For each issue the person bringing it says what they need — information, an action, a decision. The meeting ends the item when they have it.
Keep strategy and changes to roles out. Park them for the governance meeting.

Ways to change it

Without HolacracyKeep the build-the-agenda-live step; it works in any team.

DailyTen minutes: checklists and issues only.

When to skip it. If nobody brings an issue to the agenda, end the meeting after the updates.

Questions

What is a tactical meeting?

In Holacracy and similar systems, a regular meeting for clearing operational issues: checklists, metrics, project updates and a live agenda of issues, each resolved with a next action.

How is a tactical meeting different from a governance meeting?

Tactical meetings handle the day-to-day work; governance meetings change roles, responsibilities and policies.

How long should a tactical meeting be?

Usually thirty to sixty minutes, weekly.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

More templates

Governance meetingChange how the team is organised — its roles, who decides what, and its policies — through proposals that each get a fair hearing and a clear result.Department heads meetingThe people who run each department meet to line up across departments: what each needs from the others, where they collide, and the decisions only they can make together.Cross-team syncTwo or more teams whose work touches meet briefly to keep hand-offs on track: what each is about to deliver, what each is waiting on, and what changed.Budget planning meetingBuild next year's budget: what income you can count on, what each team needs to hit its goals, where the two do not match, and the trade-offs that close the gap.Daily standupFifteen minutes, three questions, everybody once.Weekly team meetingThe numbers, everybody's one priority, and the decisions that cannot wait.All-hands meetingThe whole company in one call: where things stand, what is next, and any question people want to ask.Leadership team meetingThe people who run the company, once a week: the numbers, what is stuck, and the decisions only this group can make.

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