We still have topics that not all participants agree upon, which may provoke some lively conversation and debate. We still have people that insist on digressing from the agenda. The scribe or secretary may record the minutes on a lap-top computer. When a hot issue comes up during the meeting causing a need for instant information, the data can be sent via fax or e-mail to the project office while the meeting is in progress. Video conferencing can occur bringing meeting participants from different geographic areas together without the extra cost of travel.
Different people expect to get different things from project meetings.
For this reason, a meeting needs a well-prepared agenda. I believe every meeting participant has the right to expect that all items on the agenda will be adequately addressed or if something cannot be adequately addressed, a plan of action for dealing with that item should be identified before the meeting is adjourned. This may include coordination with entities not typically part of the everyday project operation such as utilities, city or county agencies, or other parties answers to Requests for Information, Requests for Clarification, etc. A project meeting can offer a way to transmit information to and from the designer or contractor including reviewing shop drawings, submittals, answers to correspondence, and a variety of other data. It is fairly common to go through a detailed, updated schedule for each week during a project's lifetime.