Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#1

Post by bjuly » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 4:39 PM UTC

Hi! I am the cofounder TopAgree. We have created TopAgree to help teams make faster decisions with fewer meetings. My friend Linus and I are developing it together because we often don't make the important decisions until the last five minutes of a meeting. And then, unfortunately, we often make the wrong decisions. I have a big request for you: Please comment when you like to test the product and give us feedback. Thanks so much! Kind regards, Bastian

Make better decisions with fewer online meetings
topagree.com

Re: Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#2

Post by igetspam » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 5:13 PM UTC

How does one get access? I've written CAB processes for this in the past and I'm not sure doing it robotically will be an improvement in that but I'd be happy to take a look. I just put my email on the early access list.

Re: Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#3

Post by bjuly » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 5:20 PM UTC

igetspam wrote: post #2

How does one get access? I've written CAB processes for this in the past and I'm not sure doing it robotically will be an improvement in that but I'd be happy to take a look. I just put my email on the early access list.

Thank you igetspam! We will contact you asap. Change-advisory boards is what we had in mind when we separated between expert input and decision making. We create the agenda for a meeting robotically only if the decision makers cannot agree asynchronically. Looking forward to exchanging thoughts with you!

Re: Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#4

Post by andix » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 5:33 PM UTC

Does it integrate into MS Teams? Or some other established enterprise platform?

Otherwise it’s really hard to introduce it to a corporation, where it’s probably most needed.

Re: Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#5

Post by l7l » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 5:35 PM UTC

Hi HN family

I’m Linus, the other founder of TopAgree. We’re super excited to launch our beta today!

Why we built TopAgree Like many of you, we had lots of daily meetings. But with us, there rarely was a clear meeting agenda, or it was not followed, or even if so, someone was not prepared to make a decision. It often was a mix of private chat followed by opinionated discussions, ending in bad last-minute compromise decisions that were not actionable.

So we went on a journey to talk to experts and heavy users to find out if they figured out what we failed at. This is what we have learned about remarkable decision-making: - Providing relevant background and reason - Diverging - independent collection of alternative decisions and ideas - Converging - weighting ideas and choosing the best - Have a clear decision that is actionable

How TopAgree can help you? Automated process: TopAgree nudges all stakeholders so that you meet your deadlines Decision cockpit: All the information you need to decide in one place Decision log: Easily access all previous decisions

TL;DR: If you want to have faster and better decisions, get early access to TopAgree!

We are super excited to hear what you think!

Best wishes

Re: Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#6

Post by bjuly » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 5:35 PM UTC

andix wrote: post #4

Does it integrate into MS Teams? Or some other established enterprise platform? Otherwise it’s really hard to introduce it to a corporation, where it’s probably most needed.

Thank you for your questions andix! We are thinking about MS Teams integration. Depends on user feedback.

Re: Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#7

Post by westurner » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 5:43 PM UTC

andix wrote: post #4

Does it integrate into MS Teams? Or some other established enterprise platform? Otherwise it’s really hard to introduce it to a corporation, where it’s probably most needed.

Webhook integrations: Slack/Mattermost; Zulip; Zapier Platform; GitHub Pull Requests

Another issue/checkbox:

Re: collaboration engineering, Thinklets: "No Kings: How Do You Make Good Decisions Efficiently in a Flat Organization?" (2019) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20157064

Re: Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#8

Post by playingalong » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 5:45 PM UTC

A side comment:

I think you don't stand a chance to have a substantial customer base in Scandinavia. Their decision making process is by iterative consensus. You hold the meetings on the topic until there is a collective agreement for unanimous decision. If there is not, you hold another meeting in a few days.

Re: Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#9

Post by elefantastisch » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 5:46 PM UTC

l7l wrote: post #5

Hi HN family I’m Linus, the other founder of TopAgree. We’re super excited to launch our beta today! Why we built TopAgree Like many of you, we had lots of daily meetings. But with us, there rarely was a clear meeting agenda, or it was not followed, or even if so, someone was not prepared to make a decision. It often was a mix of private chat followed by opinionated discussions, ending in bad last-minute compromise d…

Are you worried that you're trying to solve a process/people/culture problem with a technology solution?

Re: Make better decisions with fewer online meetings

#10

Post by codingdave » Thu, Sep 08, 2022, 5:47 PM UTC

It is an interesting idea - you definitely have hit on a problem area. I don't think you have the correct solution. But that isn't a bad thing -- I think the process of launching this, and listening to feedback will allow you to find the correct solution. As long as you adapt to the feedback and don't come into it with ego, it should be an interesting journey.