Shift Start-Up Meeting

A shift start-up meeting (SSU) is a disciplined, daily meeting with an intact work group. It provides a consistent approach to communication and is a means of sharing information and directing activities. The SSU is one of 5 core elements of the Lean Daily Management System.

Shift Start-Up Meeting at a Primary Visual Display Board

The shift start-up meeting is brief – usually 10 minutes or less, and it is held at the workgroup’s primary visual display board – a focal point for team metrics and other important information. Workgroup metrics focus on safety, quality, productivity, delivery and equipment and process status.

Typical daily agenda – fast review

• Safety
• Availability / attendance
• Prior day’s quality and performance
• Goals and activities for today
• Issues to be addressed
• Kaizen Action Sheet (KAS) status / actions
• 5S reminders
• Other KPIs

A shift start-up meeting is sometimes referred to as a daily huddle, pre-shift meeting, or stand-up meeting. For some organizations, holding the SSU meeting during shift change-over works best. In these situations, there is cross communication between the shifts that helps the incoming team understand exactly what is going on.