What is a cadence?
A cadence, as it applies to an operation, is the frequency, format, and sequence that a manager meets with his/her team.
Once the tools are in place to capture the data and produce the desired reports and dashboards, the next step is to develop a cadence that leverages the tools.
An effective cadence will make the difference between the success and failure of the system.
We often say that the General Manager of a facility is the key variable in the success of the program. Why? because it’s the GM that establishes the cadence and makes sure that it is consistently followed.
An effective cadence should include daily, weekly and monthly components. But of the three, the daily cadence is the most powerful.
It should not take more than 5-10 minutes per day for the GM or Shift Manager.
It will require more time from the Supervisors in the beginning since they will be working with their teams to improve performance.
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Here’s what a highly effective Daily Cadence consists of, in 4 steps:
Step 1:
- The GM reviews the KPIs for the facility and compares the results against the goals that have been set for Missing Time, Indirect Time and Productivity for the month.
- If the facility is tracking well on those goals, then no further action is required that day.
- If any of the goals are not on track, the GM should look at the KPIs for each shift to determine where the issues are coming from.
Step 2:
- Once the GM has identified which shifts are missing their goals, the next step is a phone call to the Shift Manager.
- These managers should also be reviewing those same KPIs, so they know the call is coming and they are prepared to discuss what their action plan is.
- They have followed a similar approach and have already looked at the KPIs for their Supervisors to determine where the issues for their shift are coming from.
Step 3:
- Once the Shift Manager has identified which Supervisors are missing goals, the next step is a phone call to the applicable Supervisors.
- The Supervisors should also be reviewing those same KPIs, so they know the call is coming and they are prepared to discuss what their action plan is.
- These action plans roll up through the Shift Manager to the GM.
Step 4:
- Now that each Supervisor has developed an action plan for the day to get their team back on track, they work with their team to make the needed improvements.
When this process is followed daily, the simple adjustments are easily corrected and any challenging constraints that are preventing the goals from being achieved are quickly identified and brought up for discussion.
Stay tuned for what a GM’s weekly cadence looks like.
