Real-Time Agenda Technique

The real-time agenda is a process for co-creating, prioritizing and discussing a list of topics in real time.

A real-time agenda isn’t a type of meeting. It’s a technique that you can use in many different types of meetings. We consider this one of the master techniques, because it’s useful, extremely adaptable, widely loved, and it pops up all the time. You’ll find variations of real-time agendas by many names: examples include Lean Coffee^TM, IDS, Open Space, and Unconference. You’ll also find a few references that simply call it a real-time agenda.

The Basic Process

1. The group creates a list of topics they could discuss. Everyone is encouraged to add topics to this list.
2. The group prioritizes the list to identify which topics they wish to discuss first.
3. The group discusses the top-priority topic. Then they move on to the next topic, and so on, until they run out of time.
4. The group reflects on what they’ve accomplished, confirms next steps, and closes the meeting.