The Continuous Improvement Meeting - CIM

Including on this blog, much has been written about meeting management: how to run a more effective meeting, improving meeting outcomes, etc. All concepts in which I am in complete support. I've found, however, that it is very difficult to implement wholesale change into an organization's meeting culture. And there are several characteristic profiles of meeting culture within organizations.

Meetings typically occur for the purpose of communicating information, yet most meetings I've witnessed over my career consistently end with no action or accountability to do something. So, what I'm going to suggest here is not a change in your existing meeting culture. Continue to hold the meetings that your organization routinely conducts, for whatever the purpose. But, if your organization is serious about driving operational performance improvement, you need to add a meeting to your schedule. Yes, that's right. I'm advocating yet another meeting. This meeting is specific in purpose. It never deviates its agenda. And it is a critical management tool for driving performance improvement.


The continuous improvement meeting or "CIM" has five objectives.


1. Review progress against KPIs
2. Identify barriers to performance
3. Share best practices
4. Develop action plans for next period
5. Recognize superior performance

The CIM is 45 minutes in length, maximum. It is conducted at every level of the organization. This is critical to insure all levels of the operation are aligning their efforts with the strategy. Typically, the meeting should occur weekly at the front line to monthly and/or quarterly at the executive level.


The keys to successful implementation of the CIM are:

• It is a separate, distinct meeting. Not part of another meeting agenda.
• 45 minutes maximum
• It is held at the same time & day every period
• It must be group meeting


One of the biggest gaps in operational performance management is the area of management effectiveness. We tend to focus on effectiveness and efficience of front line contributors. But how exactly does management improve its effectiveness at managing? Try implementing the Continuous Improvement Meeting into your management process and see how much more focus you create around the metrics that are important to your organization's strategy.

Meeting Management & Agendas

• How much money do you spend annually on meetings?
  
• Do people show up on time, follow an agenda, and end the meetings on time?
  
• Do meetings regularly create and review actions?
  

Meetings need structure and process, yet most meetings happen because of momentum.  "We always meet on Fridays as a team."  We meet to discuss and communicate.  Yet this discussion is typically around individual status updates, and less about what needs to happen, or hurdles that need to be cleared.

Shouldn't every meeting have a well defined purpose to specifically create an action.  Change "meet to review project status" to "meet to analyze project performance, understand risks, and make recommendations."  Now we go from asking people to attend the meeting TO preparing the team for the meeting. Roles and tasks should be assigned and materials need to be reviewed prior to the meeting.

Here is a link to Seth Godin's blog on the same subject - Getting Serious about your Meeting Problem