When you're asked to prepare an agenda and you're new to it, start with the last meeting's minutes and seek feedback

What to do when you’re asked to draft an agenda and you’ve never done it before

Let’s be honest: being asked to prepare an agenda can feel like stepping into unknown territory, especially in a field like Ontario security testing where the stakes are real and the topics are important. You want to show you’re capable, not just hoping to survive the meeting. The instinct to stall, or to pass the task off to someone else, can be strong. But there’s a better path—one that demonstrates initiative, clarity, and a willingness to grow.

Here’s the thing: the simplest, most practical place to start is not reinventing the wheel from scratch. It’s to go over the minutes of the last agenda and build your new draft from what already happened, what’s still open, and what the team needs to move forward. Yes, it’s familiar—and that familiarity is a feature, not a flaw. It gives you a solid framework, keeps topics aligned with ongoing work, and shows you’re paying attention to the team’s rhythm.

Why this approach makes sense in security testing work

In security testing, agendas aren’t just about schedule; they’re a plan for risk management, for aligning testing activities with business priorities, and for ensuring that every participant knows why a topic matters. Reusing last meeting’s minutes is a practical way to anchor your new draft in reality. It helps you:

• Preserve continuity: The team is already dealing with certain vulnerabilities, controls, testing windows, or compliance items. A new agenda that mirrors last time’s topics reduces the chance of missing critical context.

• Demonstrate initiative with a light touch: You’re not pretending to know everything from day one. You’re showing you can leverage existing knowledge and respect the team’s established cadence.

• Improve efficiency: People value meetings that stay on track. By starting with last meeting items, you can quickly identify what’s still open, what’s been resolved, and what needs a decision.

• Invite constructive feedback: When you submit a draft for feedback, you invite colleagues to share perspectives. That collaboration often yields a stronger plan than a solo effort.

How to translate that into a practical, ready-to-submit agenda

If you’re facing this exact scenario, here’s a simple, repeatable workflow you can follow:

• Step 1: Gather the last meeting minutes. If you don’t have them, ask a teammate or check your project channel or shared drive. Don’t waste time hunting for a file that isn’t there.

• Step 2: Extract core topics. Look for recurring themes such as vulnerability scans, remediation timelines, risk acceptance, policy updates, and resource needs.

• Step 3: Identify open items and decisions pending. Note anything that the team agreed to revisit, and mark it as a standing item if appropriate.

• Step 4: Draft a clean, concise structure. A straightforward layout works wonders:

• Welcome and objectives (2–3 minutes)

• Review of last meeting’s minutes (5–7 minutes)

• Open items from the last agenda (5–10 minutes)

• New or ongoing topics (15–20 minutes)

• Action items and owners (5 minutes)

• Q&A and wrap-up (5 minutes)

• Step 5: Add context where needed. For each topic, jot a sentence or two that explains why it matters for security testing, what decision is needed, and who should participate. You don’t have to write a novel; just enough to guide the discussion.

• Step 6: Seek feedback early. Send the draft to your supervisor or a trusted teammate with a quick note: “Here’s a draft grounded in last meeting’s topics; what would you adjust before we circulate it to the group?” A short note invites collaboration and shows you’re ready to adapt.

• Step 7: Finalize and share. Once you receive input, make targeted adjustments and distribute the agenda with a clear time box for each item.

That process sounds almost painfully practical—and that’s the point. In security work, practical steps beat heroic overreaches every time. A solid agenda reduces uncertainty, keeps conversations focused, and helps everyone come away with concrete next steps.

How this approach compares to other options

You might wonder why not choose one of the other common moves. Let’s briefly compare:

• A) Meet with your team and address the needs together. Collaboration is valuable, for sure. But without a concrete, documented structure, you risk drifting into broad discussions that don’t result in decisions. A quick team chat is a good precursor, but the agenda should still be formalized to guide the meeting and reference past context.

• B) Tell your supervisor you’re not comfortable with the task and refuse to comply. That’s a quick emotional relief, but it doesn’t help anyone, especially you. It signals you’re backing away from responsibility rather than embracing a skill you can grow. In most teams, that stance creates friction rather than learning.

• D) Delegate the task to another team member. Delegation is legitimate in many situations, but if you’ve been asked to handle it, stepping up demonstrates ownership. Delegation can be an option later—after you’ve shown you can draft a solid agenda and you’re getting feedback that justifies handing it off for a broader review.

The real win is showing you can start from what exists, add value, and invite input

By grounding your draft in the minutes from the last meeting and then submitting it for feedback, you demonstrate several strengths:

• Resourcefulness: You don’t pretend to know everything from the outset; you show you can anchor yourself in the team’s documented history.

• Collaboration: You actively invite input, which is essential in a security testing context where perspectives from different roles — testers, developers, risk managers, and compliance folks — matter.

• Accountability: You’re explicit about topics, owners, and next steps. This clarity helps reduce ambiguities that can derail security work.

• Growth mindset: Taking on a task you’re new to is a chance to develop a new skill. You’re signaling that you’re ready to learn and contribute more deeply.

A few practical tips to keep the momentum going

• Use templates, but tailor them. A simple agenda template works in most teams. If you’re in a more formal environment, you might align with a standard meeting template in Outlook or Google Calendar. The key is to keep it readable and consistent.

• Timebox every item. If you don’t set limits, meetings tend to run long. Short, defined periods help keep conversations efficient and thorough.

• Include expected outcomes. For each topic, note what decision or input is needed. That nudges the discussion toward actionable results.

• Keep minutes accessible. After the meeting, link to notes or attach them in a shared space. This helps anyone who couldn’t attend stay in the loop and provides a reference for future agendas.

• Practice a quick review with a buddy. Before sending, a 2-minute peer check can catch unclear wording or missing context. It’s a tiny step that pays off in smoother reviews.

A quick digression—the bigger picture in security testing contexts

You’re not just drafting a list of items. You’re helping a team navigate risk, priorities, and deadlines. In many organizations, the cadence of meetings mirrors the rhythm of security testing programs: plan, test, remediate, verify, and report. An agenda that ties back to last meeting’s outcomes supports that rhythm. It reduces surprises when a vulnerability is found, a remediation window closes, or a policy change arrives. The agenda becomes a living map of where you are and where you’re headed, rather than a static to-do.

Additionally, the way you handle this task can influence how others view your work. When you show you can take a proactive step—rooted in recently reviewed material—and invite feedback, you earn credibility. People notice when you move from reacting to pattern-driven, thoughtful planning. That credibility matters, not just for the next meeting but for future collaborations on testing initiatives, risk assessments, and stakeholder communications.

Final thought: you’ve got this, with a little structure

Getting comfortable with new tasks takes a bit of practice, yes. But the core idea—the minutes from the last agenda as a springboard—gives you a practical, quick path forward. It respects the team’s history, it anchors your draft in real work, and it invites the kind of collaboration that makes security testing more effective.

If you’re in a moment when someone asks you to prepare an agenda and you’ve never done it before, start there. Retrieve the last meeting’s minutes. Highlight open items. Draft a concise structure. Add context for why each topic matters to security testing. Seek feedback, refine, and share. That’s not just a path to a well-run meeting; it’s a skill you’ll carry into future projects, conversations, and decisions.

What tools can help you make this stick?

• Google Docs or Microsoft Word for a shareable, editable draft

• Google Drive or OneDrive for centralized access to minutes and templates

• Notion or Confluence for a lightweight knowledge base that links agendas to past notes

• Slack or Teams for quick feedback threads and approvals

• A simple agenda template you customize for your team

In the end, the right move is practical, collaborative, and future-focused. It’s about building a bridge from what’s happened to what’s next, with your team’s input guiding every step. And in the world of Ontario security testing, that bridge isn’t just useful—it’s essential. If you’re ever unsure, remember the same principle: start from the last minutes, align with current priorities, and invite feedback. You’ll turn a daunting task into a confident, purposeful first step.