> generally to make sure everyone is on the same page
If everyone is on the same page then there should be a 'page' resulting from the meeting; something to look back at to represent what everyone agreed on. Those are the 'decisions' being made.
The worst meetings are ones where people share ideas, nod their head in agreement, then write nothing down. Inevitably this leads to an identical meeting later down the road, after people have forgotten key details and the game of telephone has distorted others. Then later it leads to upset people when they find, often close to delivery time, that their understanding conflicts with others on the team.
If there's no desire to have updated plans or documentation after the meeting has concluded, then I question the true intent of the meeting. Was it because the person calling the meeting felt out of the loop? Why was that allowed to happen in the first place? Why were the requirements and the team's progress not easy to observe at a glance?
"The worst meetings are ones where people share ideas, nod their head in agreement, then write nothing down".
In companies where presenteeism is valued, this can be a welcome break from pretending to work.
I love meetings that are get togethers to share ideas. Certainly not enough to impact other timelines; but getting together with a broader team of people to discuss what everyone has been dealing with is very valuable. Sometimes you wind up with an action task (like to create documentation on something that multiple people have had issues with), but oftentimes you don't.
I like to say that part of becoming a good software developer is experience. And hearing about other people's experiences helps with that; experience by proxy. It's also why I read (and write) blog posts where people working through issues. Because seeing how the person found, analyzed, and solved the issue can make _me_ a better developer.
That's valid. I wonder if those who love scheduling meetings partly do so for this reason? Because they aren't kept busy at the desk?