My Two Favourite Committee Questions

#1 How long does a typical review/committee meeting take?

Once a committee is “rolling”, i.e. past introductions and front-end start up, 10 to 15 minutes per proposal is a general guide for the time required.  The first 2 or 3 three in any meeting will probably take longer as a group gets up to speed.  Make sure that the group does not start to speed up to the point where the last few discussed get short shrift, however. Remember, focus discussion on differences, not what everybody agrees on.

#2 We’ve got the scores, why not just use these and not worry about Committees and the like?

Scores are indications of relative positioning only and should NEVER be used to determine the results.  The information provided by the relative strengths or weakness of each of the criterion and their respective comments and discussions of both the reviewers and committee members are essential to determining the outcomes.