STAR Weekly Team Meetings
STAR Weekly Team Meeting
Most weekly meetings fail for one reason: they don’t have a repeatable structure. STAR turns your meeting into a simple operating rhythm that creates momentum—every single week.
STAR (at a glance)
S — Scoreboard: review the numbers (facts, not feelings)
T — Targets: align on this week’s priorities and owners
A — Adjustments: solve the biggest blockers (with solutions)
R — Recognition: close with wins + appreciation
Great Reminder: “Scoreboard → Targets → Adjust → Recognize.”
Why STAR works (and why it feels different)
STAR upgrades team meetings into a weekly meeting system that covers what strong teams actually need: metrics, priorities, problem-solving, communication, and morale.
Facts first
You start with numbers to ground the week in reality.
Owners + next steps
Every priority ends with a clear owner and next action.
No “complaining meetings”
Problems are allowed only with a proposed solution.
Culture by design
Recognition isn’t optional—it’s how you keep teams energized.
This structure is inspired by proven weekly meeting patterns (metrics/scorecard, priorities, issues-solving, announcements, wins) and made simpler and more memorable through STAR. See “References” at the bottom.
The 30-minute STAR agenda (copy-ready)
Same agenda every week. Rotate facilitators if you want—structure stays constant.
| Time | Section | What you do | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 min | S — Scoreboard | Review 3–7 key weekly metrics (each has an owner). Rule: call On track / Off track. No debate. |
Flags (off-track items go to Adjustments) |
| 5–15 min | T — Targets | Each owner states their top priority for the week + the next action. Include short announcements that affect the team. |
Owners + next actions for the week |
| 15–27 min | A — Adjustments | Pick 1–3 biggest blockers (from Scoreboard + Targets). Rule: “Problem + proposed solution.” Then decide. |
Decisions + who does what by when |
| 27–30 min | R — Recognition | Share wins, customer feedback, or progress. Give at least 1 genuine shoutout. |
Energy + confidence + team trust |
Meeting rule (non-negotiable): If it doesn’t produce an output (decision, owner, next action), it doesn’t belong in the meeting.
Roles & rules (so STAR stays fast)
Facilitator
Keeps time, enforces the “output rule,” parks deep topics for Adjustments.
Scoreboard owners
Bring one number + on/off track status + 1 sentence on why.
Notetaker
Captures decisions + owners + deadlines (and shares after the meeting).
All participants
Come with 1 target for the week + 1 potential blocker + 1 win.
Adjustments rule: You can bring any problem—only if you also bring a proposed solution (even if it’s imperfect).
STAR meeting script (word-for-word)
Use this as a facilitator guide. Keep it simple. Repeat weekly.
S — Scoreboard (0–5 min)
Facilitator: “Let’s start with facts. Scoreboard owners: on track or off track—one sentence only.”
- “Metric X: on/off track. Why in one sentence?”
- “If off track: we flag it for Adjustments.”
Output: a short list of off-track flags.
T — Targets (5–15 min)
Facilitator: “Everyone: what’s your main target this week—and what’s the next action?”
- “My target is ___; my next action is ___ (by ___).”
- Quick announcements: “Anything that affects the team this week?”
Output: priorities with owners + next actions.
A — Adjustments (15–27 min)
Facilitator: “We’ll solve the top 1–3 blockers. State the problem and your proposed solution.”
- Problem (30s): “What’s stuck?”
- Solution (60s): “My proposal is…”
- Decision (60s): “We decide X. Owner is Y. Deadline is Z.”
Output: decisions + owners + deadlines.
R — Recognition (27–30 min)
Facilitator: “Two minutes: wins + shoutouts.”
- “Win of the week?”
- “Who helped you and why?”
Output: energy and trust. End on a high.
Variations (choose one)
15-minute STAR (fast)
S: 3 min (top 3 metrics)
T: 5 min (one target each)
A: 5 min (solve 1 blocker)
R: 2 min (1 win + 1 shoutout)
45-minute STAR (deep)
Keep STAR order, but extend A to 20 minutes.
Still cap problems to 2–3 to keep decisions sharp.
Big teams (10+)
Split into sub-teams for Targets and Adjustments.
Use Recognition in the full group to build culture.
Make it a rhythm (not an event)
STAR is not a “better meeting.” It’s a weekly operating system. Run it for 4 weeks and you’ll feel the difference: clarity, momentum, and a more connected team.
Try it now: Next meeting, don’t improvise. Use STAR exactly once. Then tweak one thing next week.
Great Reminder: “Scoreboard → Targets → Adjust → Recognize.”
References (original + further reading)
These sources inspired the “weekly meeting must-cover items” behind STAR.
- 5 Must-Discuss Items for Every Weekly Team Meeting — Sanjeev P. (Investor’s Handbook)
- The Level 10 Meeting (Scorecard + Priorities + Issues-solving structure)
- Atlassian: How to write an effective team meeting agenda
- How to run a weekly team meeting that isn’t pointless — Matt Haycox
Credit note: STAR is a Great Reminders framework that simplifies common weekly meeting essentials into one memorable agenda.
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