Schedule them after the authorization question has been answered rather than before. Meetings booked around an assumed start date create pressure to proceed on assumptions, and moving a calendar entry is far easier than undoing an activity already performed.
Answer the question before filling the diary
Ask the employer for the proposed schedule as early as possible, then have it reviewed as a whole. Where an activity needs to wait until after admission, agree on a fallback: a later session, a recorded briefing, or reading material that produces no work output. Building that flexibility in advance keeps the start date realistic and avoids last-minute decisions made under pressure.
Sort each proposed meeting by what it actually requires rather than by its label, since two meetings with the same generic name can differ sharply in whether attendance would involve performing work. Where possible, offer a virtual or listen-only option for any session originally planned in person, so the calendar entry survives even if the authorization question is not yet settled by that date. Assign one person to own the master schedule so that changes made by different teams do not create duplicate or conflicting bookings.
Record, next to each entry, why the meeting was placed where it was, since that note is useful if the sequence needs to be explained later. Treat a full calendar as a convenience to manage, not as evidence that the underlying timing question has already been answered.