The global lockdown changed the way that we think about travel and led to improved internet connectivity. Traditional board meetings, sub-committee sessions, and strategic planning methodologies have evolved as a result. A key technology that drives this transformation is the emergence of the board meeting platform which is an online, collaborative space where the board can meet, plan, and make decisions in real time. These platforms simulate the experience of a physical boardroom and come with a host of advanced features designed to enhance the meeting.
What are board meeting platforms?
Board meeting platforms are cloud-based digital workspaces that allow a board to collaborate in a secure online space. They are useful for meetings that involve simultaneous collaboration, strategic thinking, evaluation and planning. The platform serves as a canvas through which board members can add annotations, notes, and express ideas or develop strategies.
These platforms are designed to enhance collaboration, as with a physical board meeting, but with the advantage of being remotely accessible. Whether your board is co-located or dispersed across different time zones, these platforms ensure that everyone has a shared space to meet in real time while having the full discussion available to them asynchronously.
Making the Change Makes Sense
The benefits of leveraging a board portal are numerous and speak for themself:
- Real-time collaboration: One of the most significant advantages of a board platform is its ability to facilitate real-time collaboration. Multiple board members can simultaneously contribute, edit, and initiate ideas on a shared platform, providing a more interactive and dynamic environment than would otherwise be the case with static documents or slide presentations.
- Improved participation across geographies: Board meeting platforms enable board members to contribute and work together seamlessly, regardless of location. With global workforces becoming more common, these tools provide a shared space where meetings can be held securely, and ideas refined collaboratively.
- Multimedia support: Robust board platforms support a variety of content types, from text and images to videos and charts. This allows teams to express their ideas more creatively and comprehensively. Users can embed documents, files, and links to the board pack for easy reference during meetings. There will be no more confusion as to which page the presenter is on during hours long meetings that seem to have no structure.
- Enhanced creativity and innovation: The visual nature of board meeting platforms makes it easier to engage with reported content and explore ideas creatively. Instead of linear documents, boards can use sticky notes, drawings, and diagrams to express their thoughts, leading to more dynamic and engaging discussions.
- Integrations: The ability to integrate with other productivity and communication tools such as Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and Jira is critical for maximising the value of board meeting platforms. Integrations allow board members to streamline their decision-making by keeping everything connected and accessible from a single platform.
- User-friendly interface: Since these platforms are designed for use in a regulatory and regulated environment, it is essential that they have secure and intuitive interfaces. Simple drag-and-drop functionality, easy-to-access toolbars, and customisable options make these platforms accessible to both tech-savvy users and beginners.
- Greater productivity: By centralising tasks, ideas, and resources in one digital space, board meeting platforms can eliminate the need for back-and-forth emails, document sharing, and multiple iterations of documents. Board members can focus on advising on strategy and evaluating business performance more efficiently.
- Scalability: Whether it’s a small business with a single legal entity or a large multinational enterprise managing multiple subsidiary companies, board meeting platforms can scale to accommodate the needs of any board. Many of these platforms offer tiered pricing and features, making them accessible to businesses of all sizes.
- Transparency and accountability: Board meeting platforms often include features such as task assignments, due dates, and progress tracking, which help the board to stay organised and accountable. Everyone can see the status of tasks and contributions, leading to better transparency and clarity.
Not all board platforms offer all of these benefits, so be sure to use this as a checklist when choosing the right one for you.
Consider OnBoard Africa
Several platforms have been developed to varying degrees of complexity for users. OnBoard is a platform designed to streamline and enhance online board meetings. Further to the benefits above, it offers a cloud-based solution with:
- Superior security: OnBoard ensures the confidentiality of board discussions and materials with enterprise-grade security features such as encryption, two-factor authentication, and granular access controls protecting sensitive information.
- Meeting management tools: Features include automated meeting scheduling, agenda creation, and minute-taking, which reduces the administrative burden on board secretaries and improves the overall efficiency of meeting management.
- Task tracking and follow-up: The platform includes task management features, allowing boards to assign and track action items, ensuring accountability and follow-through after meetings.
- Voting and decision-making tools: OnBoard enables boards to hold votes securely within the platform, making decision-making more streamlined and transparent, even in virtual settings.
- Compliance and governance: The platform helps boards stay compliant with governance standards, offering audit trails, record-keeping capabilities, and integration with governance frameworks.
- Analytics and reporting: OnBoard provides insights through meeting analytics and customisable reports, allowing boards to track engagement, attendance, and other key metrics.
Overall, OnBoard enhances the efficiency, security, and effectiveness of board meetings while reducing administrative workload. And in conjunction with Sirdar, templates that simplify common tasks such as setting the terms of reference for a board sub-committee or a simple SWOT analysis, are provided to significantly speed up the set-up process, allowing the board to focus on the content rather than the format.
The Future of Board Platforms
As the workplace continues to evolve, board meeting platforms will likely play an even more central role in how board members collaborate. Future developments may include more advanced AI-driven features, enhanced integrations with virtual and augmented reality, and increased customisation options for different industries.
The fact of the matter is that board meeting platforms can revolutionise how boards work together, offering flexible, creative, and efficient ways to collaborate. Whether it’s asking tough questions of the executive team, or making decisions, these platforms provide the tools needed to create a high-performing business. As more organisations embrace remote and hybrid work models, these platforms will become indispensable in fostering collaboration and driving accountability.
