Meeting Agenda

Try it: /pm-skills:foundation-meeting-agenda "Your context here"

A meeting agenda is the attendee-facing structural document that sets expectations before a meeting. It answers “what will we discuss, who owns each topic, how will we spend the time, and what does done look like?” Distinct from a meeting brief, which is the user’s private strategic prep; the agenda is shared with participants and focused on structure and flow.

This skill belongs to the Meeting Skills Family. It conforms to the Meeting Skills Family Contract, which defines shared frontmatter, file naming, the go-mode behavioral pattern, and universal output requirements across all meeting skills.

When to Use

Running or chairing a cross-functional working session, project kickoff, stakeholder review, or decision meeting
Any meeting with more than three attendees or more than thirty minutes
Recurring meeting where a rolling structure (1-on-1, team sync) needs fresh framing each time
Mid-initiative alignment moment where explicit desired outcomes prevent drift

When NOT to Use

The user’s preparation is private and tactical (positioning, stakeholder reads, asks). Use foundation-meeting-brief instead.
The meeting has already happened. Use foundation-meeting-recap for post-meeting summarization.
The user wants to communicate outcomes to non-attendees. Use foundation-stakeholder-update after the meeting.

How to Use

Invoke the skill by name (/pm-skills:foundation-meeting-agenda on Claude Code, $foundation-meeting-agenda on Codex):

/pm-skills:foundation-meeting-agenda "Your context here"

Or reference the skill file directly: skills/foundation-meeting-agenda/SKILL.md

Instructions

When asked to create a meeting agenda, follow these steps:

Run anti-meeting check Apply the trigger patterns above. If the user’s objective matches, propose the async alternative and ask for override. Only proceed to step 2 on explicit override.
Parse and load inputs Read the topic or purpose. Load all @file references provided. Extract any attendee list, time constraints, or linked documents.

Infer missing values Apply these inference rules:

Value	Inferred from	Default
Meeting type	Topic keywords, attendee seniority mix	`other` (low confidence)
Duration	Explicit in topic doc (rare); meeting-type-specific default when type is inferred at medium+ confidence	v1.1.0: type-specific (see family contract). 30 min only for `other`, `1-on-1`, `exec-briefing`, `customer-call`. Kickoff = 60, working-session = 60, decision-making = 45, etc.
Objective	Topic phrasing	Infer; surface in summary
Attendee RACI	Seniority, topic ownership cues	Flag all inferences
Desired outcomes	Objective plus meeting type heuristics	Offer strawman

Load-bearing inference gates (v1.1.0): when attendee RACI or desired outcomes are inferred below-high confidence, flag in the go-mode summary with ⚠. See family contract “Zero-friction execution” section.

Present go-mode inference summary Show the inferred values with confidence markers. Accept go to proceed, or corrections to revise. Re-run inference after any correction and present the summary again.
Design the time-boxed topic list Apply the meeting-type variant (see below). Size topic times so their sum equals the meeting duration. If the topic list overflows the available time, flag it explicitly and ask for reconciliation (do not silently trim).

Each topic must have:
- Type tag: Discussion | Decision | Information | Working
- Owner (name or team)
- Goal (what done looks like)
- Time allocation
- Pre-read link if any
Specify attendee prep List required prep with links and estimated prep time. Add recommended context for attendees who want deeper background. Add “come ready to” expectations that force clarity on what each attendee contributes.
Add parking lot and logistics placeholders Parking lot is a placeholder for off-topic items raised during the meeting. Logistics covers join link, materials needed, recording ownership.
Render the TEMPLATE.md with filled values Remove all guidance blockquotes from the final artifact.
Validate output
- Frontmatter shape conforms to the family contract’s universal base fields plus agenda-specific fields (meeting_duration_minutes, desired_outcomes)
- Sum of topic times equals meeting duration (+/- 2 min tolerance)
- At least one desired outcome is listed
- Anti-meeting check result is recorded in Generation context

Zero-friction execution

Per the family contract, this skill never blocks on interrogation. Default flow:

Read all provided inputs (topic, any referenced files, attendee list, constraints)
Run inference on missing values (meeting type from topic keywords, duration default, objective from topic phrasing, attendee roles from context)
Present a brief inference summary and accept one-word go or corrections
Produce the agenda

If invoked with --go, skip the inference summary and produce output directly using defaults (duration 30 min, meeting type other, and so on). If the user provides all values upfront, no checkpoint appears.

Blocking questions are used only when inference confidence is actively low on a load-bearing input and no reasonable default exists. This should be rare.

Anti-meeting check

This skill opens with an explicit question: “Does this need to be a meeting, or could it be handled async?”

v1.1.0: the check now requires a positive synchronous-value statement. The meeting passes the check only when at least one of these is named:

Tradeoff to discuss. multiple options, uncertain preference
Conflict to resolve. named stakeholders disagreeing
Co-creation. shared whiteboarding or document-writing in the meeting
Relationship-building. first-time stakeholder meeting, mutual calibration
Blocker escalation. time-sensitive unblocking

If none apply, the skill recommends the async alternative (written update, doc review, Slack poll) and produces a short one-page “how to handle this async” framing instead of an agenda.

The v1.0.0 version of this check (“single-owner decision with no tradeoffs”, “pure information broadcast”, “status-only sync with >5 people”) was bypassed too easily. users would stay at five attendees or add “decision” to the topic. The stricter v1.1.0 biases toward async; users can still override.

This check is shared with foundation-meeting-brief and not run by the post-meeting skills (recap, synthesize, stakeholder-update).

Meeting-type variants

Applied in step 5. Each variant reshapes the topic list to match the meeting’s purpose.

1-on-1: Rolling structure. Last time’s items, this time’s topics, growth or development, blockers. Default 30 min.
standup: Status round-robin, escalations, decisions needed. Default 15 min.
planning: Commitments focus, capacity check, dependencies. Default 60 min.
review: Presentation-first, heavy pre-read, explicit feedback-capture mechanism. Default 60 min.
decision-making: Options upfront, decision criteria, explicit decision ask. Pre-read with proposal required. Default 45 min.
brainstorm: Minimal agenda, generative prompts, no decision pressure. Default 45 min.
stakeholder-review: TL;DR first, business-impact framing, explicit asks upfront. Default 45 min.
project-kickoff: Scope, roles, success criteria, risks, communication plan. Default 60 min.
working-session: Minimal agenda, pre-work required, explicit deliverable. Default 60 to 90 min.
exec-briefing: TL;DR first, supporting detail after. Default 30 min.
other: Generic topic structure, default 30 min.

Output Template

Shareable summary

[guidance: 5-6 short lines, skimmable in 10 seconds, Slack/Teams-paste-ready. No nested headers. No tables.]

{{Meeting title}} | {{Date}} at {{Time}} ({{Duration}} min) Purpose: {{One-line purpose}} Topics:

{{Topic 1}} ({{time}} min)
{{Topic 2}} ({{time}} min)
{{Topic 3}} ({{time}} min) Pre-reads: {{Links or “none required”}}

Full agenda

Meeting details

Date and time: {{Date}}, {{Time}} ({{Timezone}})
Duration: {{Duration}} min
Location: {{Link or room}}
Meeting type: {{Type}}
Attendees: {{Names and roles}}

Purpose

[guidance: one to two sentences answering “why are we meeting?”]

Desired outcomes

[guidance: concrete, verifiable outcomes. These become the yardstick for recap quality signals.]

{{Outcome 1}}
{{Outcome 2}}
{{Outcome 3}}

Topics

{{Topic 1}} ({{time}} min). {{Owner}}

Type: {{Discussion | Decision | Information | Working}}
Goal: {{What done looks like}}
Pre-read: {{Link or “none”}}

{{Topic 2}} ({{time}} min). {{Owner}}

Type: {{type}}
Goal: {{goal}}
Pre-read: {{link}}

[guidance: repeat per topic; types distinguish discussion from decision and information transfer]

Attendee prep

Required prep (estimated: {{N}} min)

{{Prep task 1}}. {{Link}}
{{Prep task 2}}. {{Link}}

Recommended context

{{Link}}: {{What to skim and why}}

Come ready to

{{Expectation 1}} (e.g., share your team’s Q2 commitments)
{{Expectation 2}} (e.g., weigh in on the scope tradeoff)

Parking lot

[guidance: placeholder for off-topic items raised during the meeting. Remains empty at agenda-creation time.]

Logistics

Join link: {{URL}}
Materials: {{Doc links}}
Recording: {{Yes/No, owner name}}

Sources & References

Primary inputs

[guidance: what the skill drew from to produce this agenda]

{{Source type}}: {{Source name or identifier}}
Meeting duration: {{user-specified or default 30 min}}

Referenced artifacts

Brief: {{filename if exists}}
Related prior recaps on this topic: {{filenames or “none”}}

External references

{{Pre-read docs with links}}

Generation context

Generated: {{Timestamp}}
Skill version: 1.0.0
Input quality: {{high | medium | low}}. {{Brief rationale}}
Overall confidence: {{high | medium | low}}. {{Brief rationale}}
Known gaps: {{List or “None identified”}}
Inferences applied: {{List of values inferred by the skill, each with confidence marker. E.g., “Meeting type: decision-making [confidence: medium, inferred from ‘decide’ keyword in topic”]}}
Anti-meeting check: {{Ran. override accepted | Ran. async alternative produced instead}}

Example Output

Search Feature Kickoff

Shareable summary

Search Feature Kickoff | 2026-04-17 at 14:00 EST (60 min) Purpose: Commit MVP scope, Q2 engineering capacity, and ship-date target for the new search feature Topics:

Scope review (20 min)
Capacity commitment (20 min)
Ship-date target (15 min) Pre-reads: scope draft (5 min), capacity model (3 min)

Full agenda

Meeting details

Date and time: 2026-04-17, 14:00 EST
Duration: 60 min
Location: https://meet.example/search-kickoff
Meeting type: project-kickoff
Attendees: jonathan (decision-maker), maria (contributor, PM), alex (contributor, eng lead), sarah (informed, design)

Purpose

Commit to an in/out MVP scope, confirm engineering capacity for Q2, and set a ship-date target that the team can plan around. Without these three commitments, downstream planning stalls.

Desired outcomes

In/out scope list agreed and written into the kickoff doc
Engineering capacity commitment logged in the Q2 plan
Ship-date target added to the team calendar with dependencies noted

Topics

Scope review (20 min). maria

Type: Decision
Goal: Each item on the scope draft marked in, out, or deferred to v2
Pre-read: scope draft

Capacity commitment (20 min). alex

Type: Decision
Goal: Eng capacity agreed in sprint-weeks for Q2; risks and backfill plan surfaced
Pre-read: capacity model

Ship-date target (15 min). jonathan

Type: Decision
Goal: Target ship date committed with explicit dependencies called out
Pre-read: none

Next steps (5 min). maria

Type: Working
Goal: Owners assigned for follow-up; next sync scheduled
Pre-read: none

Attendee prep

Required prep (estimated: 8 min)

Read the scope draft and note in/out views. scope draft
Review the capacity model and flag any concerns. capacity model

Recommended context

Prior user research on search: skim the findings summary to understand the customer problem

Come ready to

Share your team’s Q2 commitments (alex)
Weigh in on the scope tradeoff for autocomplete vs. filters (everyone)
Flag known dependencies on other teams (alex, sarah)

Parking lot

Logistics

Join link: https://meet.example/search-kickoff
Materials: scope draft, capacity model
Recording: Yes, owner: maria

Sources & References

Primary inputs

User-provided context: “Run a kickoff for search feature; need scope, capacity, ship-date commitments”
Meeting duration: 60 min (user-specified)

Referenced artifacts

Brief: 2026-04-17_14-00EST_search-feature-kickoff_brief.md
Related prior recaps on this topic: none (this is a kickoff)

External references

Generation context

Generated: 2026-04-17T13:30:00Z
Skill version: 1.0.0
Input quality: high. user provided topic, attendees, duration, and pre-read links
Overall confidence: high. all values either user-specified or directly derivable
Known gaps: None identified
Inferences applied: Meeting type inferred as project-kickoff [confidence: high, from “kickoff” in topic]; attendee roles inferred from seniority context
Anti-meeting check: Ran. override accepted (decision meeting with 4 attendees warrants sync discussion of tradeoffs)

Real-World Examples

See this skill applied to three different product contexts:

Storevine (B2B): campaigns-kickoff

Prompt:

foundation-meeting-agenda "Campaigns feature launch kickoff; Thursday 2pm EST; 60 min; scope, capacity, launch target. Attendees: jonathan (PM), maria (eng lead), alex (marketing lead), sam (data analyst). Pre-read: scope doc and capacity model."

Output:

---
artifact_type: meeting-agenda
version: 1.0
generated_at: 2026-04-17T13:00:00Z
generated_by_skill: foundation-meeting-agenda

meeting_title: "Campaigns Feature Launch Kickoff"
meeting_date: 2026-04-17
meeting_start_time: "14:00 EST"
meeting_type: project-kickoff
meeting_duration_minutes: 60

project: campaigns
topics:
  - scope
  - capacity
  - launch-target

attendees:
  - name: jonathan
    role: decision-maker
  - name: maria
    role: contributor
  - name: alex
    role: contributor
  - name: sam
    role: contributor

desired_outcomes:
  - "Scope committed: feature set in/out for v1 launch"
  - "Engineering capacity confirmed for Q2 (sprint-weeks committed)"
  - "Launch-target date set with explicit dependencies"

related_brief: null
input_quality: high
confidence: high
visibility: team
status: draft
---

# Campaigns Feature Launch Kickoff

</details>

<details>
<summary>Brainshelf (Consumer): resurface-algo-review</summary>

**Prompt:**

foundation-meeting-agenda “resurface algo review this Wed 11am PT 45 min, me + elena (algo) + mia (design), need to pick direction for next sprint between 2 options”

**Output:**

```markdown
---
artifact_type: meeting-agenda
version: 1.0
generated_at: 2026-04-20T08:30:00Z
generated_by_skill: foundation-meeting-agenda

meeting_title: "Resurface Algorithm Review"
meeting_date: 2026-04-22
meeting_start_time: "11:00 PT"
meeting_type: review
meeting_duration_minutes: 45

project: resurface
topics:
  - current-behavior
  - option-a-recency-weighted
  - option-b-topic-clustered
  - direction-decision

attendees:
  - name: priya-pm
    role: decision-maker
  - name: elena-algo
    role: contributor
  - name: mia-design
    role: contributor

desired_outcomes:
  - "Shared understanding of current Resurface algorithm's observed user behavior"
  - "Direction committed for next sprint (Option A, Option B, or hybrid)"
  - "Owner and success metrics assigned for chosen direction"

related_brief: null
input_quality: medium
confidence: medium
visibility: team
status: draft
---

# Resurface Algorithm Review

</details>

<details>
<summary>Workbench (Enterprise): blueprints-approval-design</summary>

**Prompt:**

foundation-meeting-agenda “Blueprints approval-gate design working session, Monday 2026-04-28 at 2pm EST, 60 min. Attendees: me (david-pm), sasha (lead designer), raj (eng manager), linda (compliance). Goal: co-design the approval-gate UX for Blueprints v1.1 that satisfies HIPAA workflow requirements without adding more than 2 minutes to typical doc creation. Pre-read: regulatory requirements summary, customer interview synthesis: 6 healthcare customers. Working session format, not presentation.”

**Output:**

```markdown
---
artifact_type: meeting-agenda
version: 1.0
generated_at: 2026-04-24T10:00:00Z
generated_by_skill: foundation-meeting-agenda

meeting_title: "Blueprints Approval-Gate Design Working Session"
meeting_date: 2026-04-28
meeting_start_time: "14:00 EST"
meeting_type: working-session
meeting_duration_minutes: 60

project: blueprints
topics:
  - constraint-alignment
  - approval-flow-co-design
  - exception-handling
  - deliverable-commit

attendees:
  - name: david-pm
    role: decision-maker
  - name: sasha-designer
    role: contributor
  - name: raj-eng
    role: contributor
  - name: linda-compliance
    role: decision-maker

desired_outcomes:
  - "Shared constraint map: regulatory must-haves vs. UX nice-to-haves vs. out-of-scope"
  - "Co-designed approval-flow sketch (whiteboard or Figma) covering the happy path"
  - "Exception-handling approach agreed for rejected and amended documents"
  - "Deliverable committed: who writes the v1.1 spec by end of week"

related_brief: null
input_quality: high
confidence: high
visibility: team
status: draft
---

# Blueprints Approval-Gate Design Working Session

</details>

## Quality Checklist

Before delivering the agenda, verify:

- [ ] Anti-meeting check was applied and recorded
- [ ] Meeting type is set (or explicitly `other` with low-confidence flag)
- [ ] Duration is set (default 30 min if not provided, flagged as default)
- [ ] Desired outcomes are concrete and verifiable (not "discuss X" but "decide whether to ship X")
- [ ] Every topic has type tag, owner, goal, time
- [ ] Topic times sum to meeting duration
- [ ] Pre-read prep time is listed (attendees skip prep when duration is not stated)
- [ ] Logistics section has join link and materials references
- [ ] Shareable summary is 5-6 lines, Slack-paste-ready
- [ ] Sources and References section includes Generation context with defaults applied and inferences made

Meeting Agenda

When to Use

When NOT to Use

How to Use

Instructions

Zero-friction execution

Anti-meeting check

Meeting-type variants

See also

Output Template

{{Meeting title}}

Shareable summary

Full agenda

Meeting details

Purpose

Desired outcomes

Topics

{{Topic 1}} ({{time}} min). {{Owner}}

{{Topic 2}} ({{time}} min). {{Owner}}

Attendee prep

Parking lot

Logistics

Sources & References

Primary inputs

Referenced artifacts

External references

Generation context

Example Output

Search Feature Kickoff

Shareable summary

Full agenda

Meeting details

Purpose

Desired outcomes

Topics

Scope review (20 min). maria

Capacity commitment (20 min). alex

Ship-date target (15 min). jonathan

Next steps (5 min). maria

Attendee prep

Parking lot

Logistics

Sources & References

Primary inputs

Referenced artifacts

External references

Generation context

Real-World Examples