How is the 1:1 agenda structured?

The agenda follows a standard template: Check-in, Their topics, Progress & blockers, Action item review, Growth & development, and My topics.

How do career development conversations work?

Review the person’s career goals, identify growth projects, prepare concrete examples, suggest stretch assignments, and craft open-ended questions to guide the discussion.

What happens after the meeting?

Update notes with new context and decisions, create action items with owners, flag follow-ups, and record any career development commitments in the running notes.

managing-one-on-ones

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Managing 1:1 Meetings

Agenda Generation Workflow

When preparing for an upcoming 1:1:

Check calendar for the next 1:1 and identify the direct report
Pull context from memory or project files for this person's goals, recent feedback, and open action items
Check project tracker for their recent work, blockers, and completed items
Check chat/messages for relevant recent context about this person
Generate a structured agenda using the template below

Standard 1:1 Agenda Template

Structure every agenda with these sections:

Check-in (5 min): Energy level, how things are going personally
Their topics (15 min): Space for what they want to discuss
Progress & blockers (10 min): Current sprint work, obstacles, support needed
Action item review (5 min): Status of items from last 1:1
Growth & development (5 min): Progress toward career goals, skill development
My topics (5 min): Organizational updates, feedback, requests

Career Development Conversations

When preparing a career-focused 1:1:

Review the person's stated career goals from memory or previous notes
Identify recent projects that demonstrate growth areas
Prepare specific examples of strengths and development opportunities
Suggest stretch assignments aligned with their goals
Draft open-ended questions:
- "What skills do you want to build this quarter?"
- "Where do you feel stuck or under-challenged?"
- "What would make this role more fulfilling?"
- "Is there a project or area you'd like more ownership of?"

After the Meeting

Update notes for this person with new context, decisions, and commitments
Create action items tagged with the person's name
Flag any follow-ups that require escalation or cross-team coordination
Note any career development commitments made

Running Notes Format

Maintain a per-person running notes file with this structure:

# 1:1 Notes — [Name]

## [Date]
### Their topics
- ...
### My topics
- ...
### Action items
- [ ] [Owner] — Item description
### Notes
- Key decisions, context, career discussion points

Source

git clone https://github.com/dzhibas/engineering-manager-plugin/blob/main/skills/managing-one-on-ones/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

This skill helps you prepare for 1:1 meetings by pulling context on goals, feedback, blockers, and recent work, then generating a structured agenda. It covers both regular check-ins and career development conversations, plus post-meeting notes and action items to close gaps.

How This Skill Works

It begins by checking the calendar for the upcoming 1:1 and identifying the direct report, then pulls context from memory, project files, and chat for goals, feedback, and blockers. It then generates a structured agenda using the standard 1:1 template, covering check-in, their topics, progress and blockers, action item review, growth and development, and my topics. After the meeting, it updates the notes, creates action items tagged with the person’s name, flags follow-ups, and records career development commitments in the per-person running notes.

When to Use It

Preparing for an upcoming 1:1 with a direct report
Conducting a career development conversation with a direct report
Drafting a structured agenda before a 1:1
Reviewing recent work and blockers prior to the meeting
Following up after a 1:1 to update notes and actions

Quick Start

Step 1: Check calendar for the next 1:1 and identify the direct report
Step 2: Pull goals, feedback, blockers, and recent work context
Step 3: Generate and share a structured agenda using the standard template

Best Practices

Start with a focused check-in to gauge energy and personal context
Use the standard agenda sections to cover progress, blockers, and growth
Tie growth topics to the employee's stated career goals with concrete examples
Capture action items with clear owners and due dates
Keep and update a per-person running notes file after each meeting

Example Use Cases

1:1 with a software engineer to discuss blockers in the current sprint and needed support
Career-focused 1:1 exploring growth opportunities and stretch assignments
Review recent feedback and adjust priorities for the next sprint
Onboarding check-in with a new direct report to track onboarding milestones
Cross-team 1:1 to align dependencies and escalation paths

Frequently Asked Questions

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