The existence of regularly scheduled meetings between the project team and key stakeholders is both a governance signal and a structural enabler of effective change management. Such meetings provide the change manager with essential information channels, decision-making forums, and integration points that are critical to keeping the change management plan aligned with project realities.
Definition and Distinction
Regularly scheduled project meetings, in this context, refers to a structured governance calendar of recurring meetings that involves the project team, relevant subject matter experts, and key stakeholders. This may include: weekly project team stand-ups or status meetings; fortnightly steering committee or project board meetings; change management working group sessions; and periodic stakeholder review forums.
The existence of such a governance calendar is distinct from ad hoc meetings (which are reactive and unstructured) and from one-off stakeholder briefings (which are informational but not part of an ongoing governance rhythm). Regular, structured meetings signal that the project has established a governance discipline that supports informed decision-making and ongoing stakeholder alignment.
Why Regular Meetings Matter for Change Management
Change managers rely on project governance meetings for:
timely notification of project decisions that affect the change scope or timeline;
access to project status information that informs communications and training schedules;
escalation pathways for change-related risks and issues;
opportunities to present change management updates, readiness data, and adoption metrics to project leadership.
When regular meetings are not established, change managers must rely on informal information channels that are inconsistent, slower, and less reliable. This increases the risk that change management planning is based on outdated or incomplete project information.
Assessing and Documenting Meeting Governance
Change managers should confirm: that a governance calendar exists and has been communicated to all relevant parties; that change management is represented in the appropriate governance forums; that meeting frequency is sufficient for the project's pace and complexity; and that decisions made in meetings are documented and distributed in a timely manner.
Example of a well-documented meeting governance assessment:
'The project governance calendar includes: a weekly project team stand-up (attended by the change manager); a fortnightly Project Board meeting (change manager presents monthly update); a monthly Stakeholder Advisory Forum; and a dedicated change management working group meeting every three weeks. All meetings are documented by the project management office and minutes are distributed within 48 hours.'
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Change manager not included in key project governance forums: Change managers who are not seated at project governance tables will consistently receive project information later than other team members, compromising the timeliness of change planning adjustments.
Meeting frequency insufficient for project pace: For projects in active delivery, weekly project team meetings are typically a minimum. Less frequent meetings create information gaps that increase change management risk.
Meetings held but decisions not documented: The governance value of meetings is only realised if decisions and action items are recorded and distributed. Unrecorded decisions create ambiguity and accountability gaps.
Stakeholder forums operating as one-way information sessions: Effective stakeholder forums should include structured opportunities for stakeholder input, not merely project team presentations. Without two-way dialogue, the change manager loses a critical channel for understanding stakeholder concerns and perceived need for change.
References
Prosci. (2023). Change Management Planning and Governance. https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/change-management-planning
Project Management Institute. (2021). PMBOK Guide (7th ed.). PMI. https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press. https://hbr.org/books/kotter