Standup meeting
Many improvement initiatives fail because the projects are too big. Why are large projects more likely to fail? This is partly because large projects are more complex in content. It requires much more from the project manager and from the team.
On the other hand, large projects take too long, so over time success et long. As a result, projects are delayed and likely to be supplanted by other priorities. If several projects fail or stall in succession, resistance will increase these new projects.
It is much more effective to implement several smaller projects in succession. This is less complex and achieving a certain result within a foreseeable time gives energy to the team and the organization. Short-cycle improvement, also known as “Short Interval Management,” is the basis for Kaizen and Scrum, among others.
Short-cycle improvement is often supported by daily stand-up meetings around the improvement board with the team, also called “Lean Daily Management. Daily stand-up meetings are often held at the beginning of a day or mid-day to communicate results and issues. The goal is to keep these meetings short and businesslike. Normally, a meeting lasts around 10 to 15 minutes and is performed standing. This is more efficient than sitting down with a cup of coffee. The meeting will be held at the “Gemba,” the shop floor. The location of the meeting is a fixed location in the workplace that has been set up specifically for this purpose with visual management boards.
Looking back – Consider the performance of the previous interval:
- Did we achieve the set outputs?
- Have we encountered quality problems?
- Have we completed the actions that were determined in the previous interval?
- Are the actions effective or are additional actions needed?
Looking ahead – Discuss goals for the next interval:
- What is the required output?
- Do we have the necessary resources?
- Who need help to achieve their goals?
- What specific actions are needed?