A Clerk’s Best Practices for Transitioning to a New Agenda and Meeting Management Software

People don’t always like change. It’s a fact of life. Even when we know change is needed — a bigger house, a new job, a more reliable car — many of us feel a deep-rooted desire for consistency and to avoid the difficulties that often come with a new routine, tool, or system. This reality is as real in our day-to-day business operations as it is in life — especially when it comes to a software transition, a phrase that often elicits groans and clicks on the kick-off meeting declined button.

Even for those who don’t like change, there’s good news. When it comes to the agenda and meeting management software you rely on today to create and distribute agendas, meeting minutes, and manage documents and video files, you don’t have to be so afraid of the transition that you continue to use software that is no longer meeting the needs of your government. Our experts in meeting management have weighed in on the best practices for planning and executing a transition to a new agenda and meeting management software so you can lead an efficient, outcomes-driven implementation.

The Benefits of Transitioning to a Modern Agenda and Meeting Management Solution

If you’ve been hesitant to consider automating parts of your agenda and meeting management system or switching to a more modern system that better meets your needs, understand that by taking the time to implement the right solution, you’ll save yourself hours managing files every day — without ever losing your status as your community’s document resource master.

Here are seven ways new agenda and meeting management software will put time back into your workday. Let’s begin.

1.  No More Searching File Cabinets

It’s estimated that employees spend 20 percent of their time searching for documents, partly because three percent of an organization’s records are misfiled. With agenda and meeting management software, any file you need is only a few clicks or a simple search away.

2. No More Standing at the Copy Machine

How much time do you spend standing at the copy machine before every board or staff meeting? With agenda and meeting management software that allows you to route files electronically, you’ll save hours every week and can avoid the stress and mess that comes with being the staff member who needs to replace the printer ink.

3. Allow Residents to Self-Service Their Public Records

A significant portion of your time every week is likely spent accepting and responding to requests from residents for public records. By implementing a software solution that allows people to search for and obtain electronic copies of files, reports, agendas, minutes, and other municipal documents quickly, you’ll receive fewer phone calls every week, and you’ll have happier community members. Everyone wins.

4. Allow Access to Any File. Anywhere. Any Time.

Public sector operations rely on mobile access to content. Transitioning to a mobile-optimized agenda and meeting management software solution can provide such time-saving convenience.

5. Automate Agenda Creation Follow-Ups

A software solution that allows you to automate requests for agenda items and necessary follow-ups ensures you still get the information you need without spending time conducting manual follow-ups.

6. Ensured Compliance

Every one of your residents deserves equitable access to documents, records, and local information, including the one in four people living with a disability. Choose an agenda and meeting management solution provider that shares your commitment to digital accessibility and provides convenient functionality to post and share agendas and minutes easily in consumable formats.

7. More Efficient Task Management Leads to More Bandwidth

The role of the municipal clerk is changing in tandem with the digital transformation of government. Today’s clerks need to find efficient systems to manage daily tasks so they can take on more strategic initiatives. Agenda management software can help.

Finding the Right Time for a Change

For municipalities already budget- and resource-strapped, it may never feel like you have the time and resources to commit to a software transition, but wasting time following outdated, time-consuming workflows won’t help you meet your engagement goals or move your community forward either. If you choose not to proactively make a change to your agenda and meeting management system, you could be forced to make a change later when:

• Elected officials or your administration mandates it.
• Residents demand
• Existing board members or staff retire
• State legislators mandate new digital requirements

Under the pressure of such expectations, processes can become rushed, timelines condensed, and you may not feel you’ve given the software selection and implementation process the time and attention it deserves.

Instead, proactively choose to initiate a system enhancement, and you will benefit from:

• Streamlined processes through software automation features
• More time to focus on strategic initiatives
• Increased accountability among board members due to enhanced team collaboration and visibility
• Embracing your evolving strategically focused role within your administration
• More significant cost-savings compared to overpriced and outdated systems or paper-based workflows
• More time put back in every workday

Preparing for Change by Evaluating Your Current Workflows

Whether your current agenda and meeting management workflows are manual or reliant on an existing software solution, before you choose a new software system, take the time to evaluate your current workflows for building and distributing agendas and meeting minutes from start to finish. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Where is the most significant loss of time in preparing agendas? What workflows could we streamline or automate?
• Why is this our process?

Note: If your answer is: That’s how we’ve always done it, consider if a new workflow could save you time or improve efficiency and transparency. We have found that the answer is yes, 99.9 percent of the time.

Laying the Groundwork for Transition

Once you thoroughly understand your current processes, strive to understand your goals and requirements for your software transition.

• Define what is driving the change (The WHY)
• List the key benefits you are seeking (The WHAT)
  • Tie these to tasks, jobs, and potential for time saved
  • Tailor the benefits to your user groups (e.g., board members, residents, council members)
• Research software solution options (The HOW)
  • Talk to fellow clerks who made similar software transitions and visit them on-site to view their software and experience their workflows

Note: Consult with experts who have helped other cities and counties transform their processes and ask for advice based on your community, size, and needs.

Communication Best Practices

No software transition can be completed in a vacuum, especially one of magnitude. You will need the support and collaboration of vital administration members, which means communicating openly, fostering two-way dialogue, listening, and being receptive to feedback. Throughout the software transition process, follow these communication best practices:

Listen

• Gain input from those doing the manual work today
• Establish a procedure for capturing feedback and suggestions throughout the transition

Communicate

• Why the process is changing, and what benefits you are seeking
• How the process is changing, being clear about what will and will not change
• Stress the importance of setting aside time for training and practice
• Acknowledge that there may be an increased workload during the transition
• Schedule touchpoints throughout the process and communicate any roadblocks to success for full transparency
• Never be afraid of over-communicating

Managing Resistance

Before changing agenda and meeting management systems, know that your role in the process must be more than that of the implementation team leader. It must be that of a change management agent who assuages team members’ fears over change and how the new system will modify their day-to-day routine. By remaining positive, communicating with your board members every step of the way, and choosing the right system for your administration, you take steps to mitigate discomfort and resistance.

Whether you are following a manual agenda and meeting minute creation and distribution process, or you are using an existing software system, you can expect to hear the following concerns from board members and staff members:

• I’m comfortable with the way we do things today; I know where everything is, and I’m used to the current process
• The last time we transitioned software, it was a nightmare. Why should we go through that again now?
• I like having a paper copy of agendas and minutes
• Will we lose irreplaceable files in the transition?
• Now is not the best time for a transition

Ensuring Team Success

Ensuring the success of your transition requires the right combination of team members. Build the best internal implementation team possible and then assign subject matter experts (SME) and power users for your new system and enable them to become internal leaders in the transition process.

As you prepare for go-live, bolster your training plan with additional internal open training sessions and scheduled vendor training sessions. Such meetings should include:

• A discussion of process adjustments and enhancements
• System use best practices
• An open question and answer session, even with some respectful frustration venting to address concerns and eliminate barriers to adoption

As you hold training sessions both with and without your software solution partner present, plan to differentiate instruction options to meet the needs of all learners. For example, you may require a combination of:

• On-demand videos as refreshers and training for new hires and vendors
• Documentation tailored to your processes and municipality
• Departmental practice sessions
• Internal lunch and learn sessions to generate enthusiasm and reinforce system functionality

Note: After you train your users, plan to maintain a parallel process with your previous system or procedures until you go live and fully convert to your new system. This approach will help to preserve knowledge and gain momentum.

Final Words of Advice

Keep your goals in focus, especially when facing opposition or encountering roadblocks.

• Accept that there will be bumps in the road and frustrations but that you can overcome them with strategic assessments
• Celebrate every success, no matter how small
• Set goals for improvement and use metrics to track your progress
• If things aren’t working, don’t be afraid to reevaluate and adjust — your transition process doesn’t have to be static