Agenda
In a Nutshell
An agenda is a list determining the topics to be discussed in a meeting and the flow of the process. In theory: order. In practice: on-paper discipline expected to keep the meeting from going off track.
What It Really Means
The agenda exists for meetings to be productive. But in most meetings, the agenda either doesn't exist or is forgotten after the first five minutes.
A good agenda determines what will be discussed, what will be decided, and what will come out of the meeting. A bad agenda is just a list of titles.
A meeting without an agenda is usually one where everyone talks about everything but no one leaves with a clear decision.
The agenda is the meeting's insurance. But having insurance doesn't always prevent the accident.