Running an efficient board meeting

BeyondVC has a great piece on the subject

Board meetings can be a gigantic waste of time if not run appropriately. On the flipside, they can be a valuable source of input and guidance for a management team in the pursuit of maximizing shareholder value. While there are a number of different ways to approach and run a board meeting, I thought I would outline a few of my philosophies on them, and what I expect from my portfolio companies in terms of content.

1. Be prepared
2. Timing
3. Content:

Company Summary by CEO
Sales Review
Professional Services (usually incorporated in context of sales discussion for smaller companies)
Marketing
-Competitive positioning update
-Product roadmap
-New product launch plan, etc...
-Lead generation statistics
R&D:
-Summary development plan of key features to be delivered for quarter and current progress
-Bug report broken out by severity-should also track resolution and time outstanding against prior months/quarters
Customer support:
-Statistics on level 1, 2, 3 calls and performance as measured by time outstanding versus prior months/quarters
Finance:
-Plan vs. budget - income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement