How do you start the day at your organization? Do employes come to work and wonder what to do? Are they efficient because they know exactly what needs to be accomplished today? They will if you start your day with morning huddles.
Starting the day with a morning huddle wonders for the success of your operations. Employees get questions answered, they know where they are working and share any safety or quality concerns.
1. Safety and Quality issues
As a production manager years ago, I started every morning huddle asking the two most important issues. Does anyone have any safety issues? Does anyone have any quality issues?
I made each person in our daily huddle verbally give me an answer, not just nod their head. This made sure they engaged and gave the questions some consideration.
Use this valuable time to gather safety and quality improvement opportunities.
2. Assignments and questions
Hopefully, you are using a certification matrix to track what processes employees are certified to work in. This pays benefits when someone doesn’t show up to work, which happens. You know who else is certified to do that work.
If employees need to move to different locations of processes, make the assignments during the morning huddle. Use this time to answer questions your team might have.
3. Review performance
Take 1-2 minutes during the morning huddle to review the department’s performance from the day before or whatever time frame your company uses. Did they meet the goals of the department? Was there any scrap or rework that occurred that needs addressed?
If you aren’t in a manufacturing setting what metrics do you measure that should be discussed and reviewed? This process works for any type of business. You can use it to align an office. I’ve coached a Dental office and they have morning huddles to start the day off right.
4. Daily Problem solving
Since you have the group together for 5-10 minutes, you can take this time to conduct daily problem-solving. If you have longer-term opportunities, you are addressing with Kata, this is the perfect time to conduct daily learning and problem-solving.
Incorporating this into your morning huddle makes it quick and effective. One company I coached eliminated reduced their scrap by 95% using this effective technique and implementing it into their morning huddles.
5. Remove roadblocks
Finally, ask your employees if there are any roadblocks you need to remove for them to do their best work. Are there tools or equipment they need to do their work? Is there information that you need to gather for them? Are there work instructions that don’t exist or that are confusing?
These and more are roadblocks your employees face. Find out what they are and remove them so your employees can do their best work!
It is an honor to serve you, and I hope that you and your company are getting better every day!
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