Coordination meetings become status meetings when there is no structure to prevent it. The difference is intent: a status meeting asks “what did you do?” while a coordination meeting asks “what do you need from each other?” This template keeps the focus on interdependencies.
State the coordination scope: which project, which phase, which teams. Confirm the time horizon (this week, this sprint, this milestone).
Each person states: what they are waiting on from someone else, and what someone else is waiting on from them. No general status updates — only cross-team touchpoints.
For each flagged dependency or blocker, agree on the resolution: who does what by when. If resolution requires a separate meeting, schedule it now and move on.
Surface anything that might affect the group in the next cycle. Early warnings are more valuable than late escalations.
Confirm action items. State the next coordination point.
Pre-meeting checklist
- Each attendee reviews their dependencies before the meeting
- Blockers and risks identified in advance (not discovered live)
- Status updates shared async before the meeting so the sync focuses on coordination
When to use 50 minutes instead
For program-level governance with more than 5 teams, or when coordination involves external partners with different planning cycles.