Good and Bad practices in Daily Start Up meetings

I've seen quite a few daily start up meetings...here's what I've observed.

Do This

• Smile and make eye contact. Particularly difficult for technical people, but remember, lean is about valuing people...hard to make them believe that when you are talking to your shoes.
• Keep it moving and be crisp.
• Use the Visual Display to guide the meeting each morning. These metrics can focus the discussion on results which the group can affect.
• Make assessments and propose action. Example: "Our on-time delivery has slipped in the past week. I propose Bob and I work tomorrow afternoon to figure it out."
• Seek coaching much as an athlete asks someone else with experience to observe and suggest how performance can improve. Find someone who can help your meetings get better and better.
• Build a mood of expectation, one that says "We can address problems and steadily improve." This is the opposite of a mood of resignation and being a victim.

Don't Do This

• Try to solve all problems while there. Better to index issues that need to be addressed outside the meeting.
• Solve other groups' problems. That's their job. Focus on issues under the group's own control.
• Allow one person to dominate the discussion and exclude others. Each person in the group should speak each day. Remember, the group should be no larger than 9 members.

I hope this is helpful. Feel free to forward to a friend. Email me