We set up a number of new subcommittees this year so lots more agendas and meetings. Yay BoardPro.

Pros

The time saved and the ease of preparing agendas and minutes. And a system to keep track of the actions is great. We used to do all of that manually so we're streets ahead of where we were. We set up 4 new subcommittees this year so having BoardPro has been hugely helpful. Initially, there was a steady stream of minor and major bugs/teething problems but those are steadily being worked through. I find that I don't need to get in touch with the Help Desk as often and clearly things are working well for us. Another great BoardPro feature is the ability to access it so readily from any of your electronic devices and from any location. I’m an administrator so I can complete an agenda at work or at home and, later, access the minutes to work on and simply pick up from where I left off. And my colleagues can be working on it at the same time too.

Cons

Initially, there was a steady stream of minor and major bugs/teething problems, but I have to say those are steadily being worked through. I still get frustrated that there's no Undo button when I'm typing the minutes straight into BoardPro - I've lost work several times due to hitting the wrong area of the touch pad, which is a real pain. Ultimately, its important that our governors are happy with the software. They readily express their frustrations if they're unhappy, e.g. the page numbering in the board packs - the minutes have one set of numbering and the board packs have another. They also get confused about the different action points lists - in a board pack, there's a list of actions raised in the meeting at the end of the previous minutes (very useful). Then there's a list of actions reviewed in this meeting, plus an Action Item List. I don't clearly understand the distinction and if I'm not clear then I can't explain it and the governors start talking about other software options. That's not in my interest as I've invested lots of time and effort in getting BoardPro to work for us. For me, the action item reminders to owners are great. Because owners don't always react to their actions, (tongue in cheek), it would be good if it incorporated a graphic like a time bomb going off under a chair. That might prompt people to update/action their actions! :)

Using BoardPro

BoardPro has reduced the time it used to take for me to compile meeting agendas. I can build agendas through the month and load relevant papers as they come to hand. Access to documentation by Board members is much easier. The decision register is very useful as it is no longer kept in a separate database programme. Also the interest register is in the same programme as other board information.

Pros

I compile agendas for several companies, committees and a trust. Using BoardPro has reduced the time these processes have taken significantly because the names of those who will be expected at the meeting are already available and so is my template for the meeting agendas. It is very easy to make changes as necessary. The Trustees, Directors and Committee members like the notification process that advises them when meeting papers are ready for them to view and when they have actions to complete.
I also like that support from BoardPro is available quickly and ideas that users have to improve the features of the product are invited, considered and often implemented so that we all gain the benefit of better board papers.

Cons

Nothing really. A challenge can be that the programme is cloud based, so if access to the Internet is interrupted getting to the board papers can be difficult. Consequently, I always have a hard copy of the agenda available at each meeting and a way in which to record minutes that does not rely on the cloud. I have been using BoardPro for just over a year now and so far have only needed to employ my alternative method once.

Making good boards great is what BoardPro is all about

We have saved time and money improved forward planning and communication, it's been a game changer.

Pros

For those that are needing an idea where to start, BoardPro gives you that.
For those that then need flexibility to adapt their board meeting, BoardPro handles it with ease.
For those directors and chair's that sit on multiple entities, BoardPro is a must have.
On the move needing access when you what where you are, BoardPro is Cloud based.
Quite simple it's a game changer

Cons

This product is constantly being developed, as such you need to be using it regularly to get the full benefit. Training for those directors who are still used to paper board packs will need a little extra effort to help on-board them well

Could not live withour Boardpro

What I liked most about BoardPro was its ease of use and best practise templates. It was also effortless to setup and the BoardPro team were there if I needed them. I have used dozens of 'Cloud Apps' and without exception, most had steep learning curves and ' time to value'. BoardPro is an exception this. Within 30 minutes, I had built my first board pack and distributed the meeting agenda and items to my directors.

Pros

What I liked most about BoardPro was its ease of use and best practise templates. ' Time to value' was exceptionally fast. Within 30 minutes I had built my first board pack and had distributed the meeting agenda and documents to my directors.

Cons

Like all great Saas platforms, the early days were a bit challenging but the counter to this was the awesome service provided by the Boardpro team. They were always there to lend a helping hand.

BoardPro is the most effective meeting management tool I've used in a long time.

The time saving from having this software cannot just be measured financially. The benefits are many but mostly to having a consistent board meeting structure, approach and set up. I have already recommended this product to anyone I meet that could use it.

Pros

It is very intuitive, fields are customisable, its not rocket science and it makes our work lives so much more effective. The team provide updates that are relevant and simple. I love that I can customise our own agenda to suit our work place.

Cons

Its not this software, but I would love to be able to create a repository where every paper I upload is held, is easily searchable and has any actions or decisions assigned to that topic also held in a trackable area - but all of that is in my head and hard to describe :) - I remain totally happy with BoardPro and the team that provide the support. Thank you.

BoardPro provides easy to use, cost effective software for managing board documentation for SME's.

BoardPro allow our nonprofit board to streamline our agenda creation, minute taking, board pack distribution and management of action items between meetings. It provided an easy-to-use interface for creating agendas between the GM and Board Chair when they are working at a distance from each other. BoardPro allowed us to introduce more professionalism into our board practices.

Pros

I particularly like how easy it is to produce a tidy board book in a usable format for board members in accordance with their personal preference (e.g. paper-based or electronic). And I also like the action reminder emails - keeps everything moving forward between meetings. BoardPro's online customer service is first rate - if I have a query while developing an agenda or document, I always get a very quick response.

Cons

I'd like the ability to customize the board pack a bit more, such as adding 'for information only' sections outside of the agenda or having standing attachments, such as the board work plan, so that I don't have to attach it each time.

BoardPro is just great

Overall extremely positive. Great feedback from Directors and others. No problems with loading and accessing Board papers (this was always an issue before Boardpro was installed).

Pros

Ease of use, speed with which meeting agendas can be compiled, papers prepared and Boardpacks consolidated, ability to put annotations onto Agenda papers and preserve them until meeting starts, ease of access to important governance documents, automatic follow up on outstanding Action Items. easy handling of last minute agenda changes and late papers.

Cons

Lack of flexibility about design of look and feel of the minutes. Editing of Minutes sometimes a problem since not all parties have ready access to being able to edit pdf files and are not familiar enough with the construction back end to be able to edit on-line via login.

My experience has been very positive with using Boardpro, it is easy to use and saves time

Saving of my time, paper and money (no longer printing out board papers and couriering them to board members), ease of access for board members, less stress and more time to concentrate on other areas of the role when board papers are due to be sent out. I would highly recommend any small to medium business converting to Boardpro

Pros

Ease of use, saves time and is stressless. Easy to create an agenda and modify agenda items and move documents, minute taking is effortless, action points are circulated to board members. The team are proactive in making improvements to Boardpro which is great to see.

Cons

Sometimes the minutes take up too many pages when it is printed due to the formatting. I would also like to see more options for present, early departure and lateness added which I will email Boardpro directly about.

Boardpro helped our Association focus on governance

We took on Boardpro as part of our goal to improve our Governance focus and the structure of Boardpro has allowed us to achieve this goal by being awarded a SportNZ Governance Mark award.

Pros

That we could customise our agendas to suit our organsiation and that all the board papers were in one place

Cons

Learning to use new software is always a challenge if this is not your core business but both my GM and myself found Boardpro to be user friendly and well supported.

Does exactly what it says

- We have been trying to get our board members to transition from paper-based board packs to online for a while now and they have found BoardPro so easy to use that we have converted all our board to online. It has been a great time-saver for me as the administrator. Not only have we lessened the impact on the environment with not printing the documents but also the cost of printing and couriering the packs. - Questions are answered in a timely manner and the set webinar trainings are also a great feature. - Because of the success with our Board, we have also extended using BoardPro to two other committees.

Pros

- Ease of use. Uploading of documents without having to convert into a PDF a great time saver.
- Easy to create agendas and move documents within the agenda sections.
- Separate action items which can be emailed to those responsible and timely reminder emails also a great feature to enable items to be actioned.

Cons

- Cannot enter multiple entries under the Interest Registers for one person. Currently you have to make a new entry under each person (not ideal when board members have multiple interests).
Governance Documents cannot be seen in the Ipad version.
- Currently no spell-checker.

BoardPro Simplifies Board reporting

Pros

The ability to set an agenda, great best practice agenda topics and organisation, as well as a low price point means a small organisation can afford to take advantage of this platform. Being able to send the board papers to the board without attachments is really useful. Minute taking and action lists are really simplified and sped up with this platform.

Cons

There aren't many issues we have difficulty with regarding the software, so I won't list any here.

My experience was exceptional. Enabled quick processing of critical information. Highly recommend.

Personally I found the software enable the meetings we help to run much better, with a flow of information prior, during and afterward far superior to manually documenting the meeting process. Please note we are a sporting entity with no employed staff. The company size question below does not allow for a volunteer answer. I am grateful for the opportunity to have access to Board-Pro.

Pros

The ability to capture discussion formulate outcomes, and followup tasks assigned correctly as the meeting progressed, saving time and providing a fast and efficient record.