Define and follow the leader’s standard work

Set what a leader does every day and every week to sustain improvement, and check whether they did it.

The task in figures

Gives you back
1.4 h a monthper team; today it takes 4.3 to 8.7 h a month
Elmira today
Helps
Frequency
Weekly
Who does it today
Senior, Lead
How it is done today

What hurts today.

  • Urgent matters fill the calendar, and the routines go first.

  • The routine lives on a sheet nobody checks.

  • Nobody knows whether the leader followed it until something fails.

A leader’s standard work says which meetings they facilitate, which walks they do and what they check, every day and every week. Without it, urgent matters fill the leader’s calendar, and the system’s routines are the first to go. Defining it is the start; the hard part is following it: holding each meeting on time, seeing whether it was done and talking with a coach about why not.

Done today with

  • Expert
  • In-person meeting
  • Paper and whiteboard
  • Spreadsheet
  • Email and chat
With Elmira

Each step, today and with Elmira.

Obeyaka opens the leader’s meetings on time and tells them of the briefing on WhatsApp. Elmira tells them which meetings they closed and which of their actions are due, to review their routine with their coach.

StepTodayWith Elmira
Define what the leader does every day and every weekExpert, Paper and whiteboard30 min – 1 hStill by hand
Put their meetings on the calendarEmail and chat10 min – 20 minObeyaka (web)
Open their meetings on time, and tell them of the briefingEmail and chat5 min – 10 minAutomatic
Check whether they held their meetings and did what they promisedSpreadsheet, Expert15 min – 30 minWhatsApp
Talk with their coach about why not, and adjust itIn-person meetingYour call

The conversation

Elmiracontinuous improvement agent
  1. Diego, Maintenance lead

    Elmira, how am I doing with my routine this week?

  2. You closed Maintenance’s briefing on Monday, and Thursday’s debriefing is still open. Of your actions, 2 are due this week and 1 is overdue: reviewing the lubrication plan.