Progress Check-in Protocols

I've learned one universal truth: everyone has performance ups and downs. The best leaders? They don't wait for a full-blown crisis. They spot the early signs and have those crucial conversations before things spiral. Here's my framework for helping a team member get back on track: 1. The "What's Up?" Chat (Week 1-2)   • Leader: Set up a casual one-on-one. Listen more than you talk.   • Team Member: Be honest about what's not working. It's okay to admit struggles.    Tip: Use open-ended questions like "What's your biggest challenge right now?" Consider having this chat outside your office - grabbing a coffee can change the dynamic. 2. Game Plan (Week 3-4)   • Leader: Work together to set clear, doable goals. Reset expectations as needed. Be specific about what needs to change.   • Team Member: Speak up about what you need to succeed. Own your part in the plan.   Tip: Break larger goals into weekly tasks. Stretch the team member but don't break them. 3. Support and Resources (Ongoing)   • Leader: Connect them with a mentor. Provide the tools they need.   • Team Member: Use these resources. Ask for help when you need it.   Tip: Consider personality assessments to identify strengths and growth areas. 4. Regular Check-Ins   • Leader: Regular catch-ups. Give honest feedback – good and bad.   • Team Member: Come prepared. Be open to feedback and ready to adjust.   Tip: Use the "situation-behavior-impact" model, and ask, "What would you do differently next time?" It promotes problem-solving, not just reflection. 5. One Month In: Quick temperature check • Discuss what is working and what additional resources or support is needed. 6. Three Months In: Bigger picture review • Discuss overall progress and expectations where performance has improved. 7. Six Month Milestone: Decision time   • If performance is better: Celebrate and plan next steps   • If not: Have an honest talk about whether this role is the right fit Remember: 🔸 Keep talking. Silence doesn't help anyone. 🔸 Leaders guide, but team members drive their own improvement. 🔸 Write stuff down – it keeps everyone on the same page. 🔸 We're all human. Patience and fairness go a long way. Watch out for inflated progress reporting. Stay engaged to see real progress. Look for tangible results, not just promises. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But giving someone a fair shot to turn things around? That's good leadership. Leaders – ever helped someone bounce back? What worked? How did you ensure genuine progress? Share below!

Clear communication with CROs can make or break a clinical trial. I faced delays because of misaligned expectations with the CRO. Initially, our team believed that the CRO had a clear understanding of our clinical trial goals and timelines. However, it soon became evident that there were discrepancies in how each party interpreted these goals. This misalignment led to significant setbacks, as tasks were either executed improperly or not completed on time. To address this issue, we implemented regular weekly check-ins and established a streamlined reporting process. These measures ensured that both parties remained on the same page and could promptly address any emerging concerns. By setting clear KPIs and maintaining open, consistent communication, we were able to realign our objectives and progress more effectively. 💡 We proposed three key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor our clinical trial goals and timelines: ·      Milestone Achievement Rate: This KPI tracks the percentage of key study milestones achieved on or ahead of schedule, ensuring we are meeting critical deadlines. ·      Query Resolution Time: Measuring the average time taken to resolve data queries helps in identifying bottlenecks and ensures timely data cleaning and analysis. ·      Protocol Deviation Rate: Monitoring the number of deviations from the study protocol helps in maintaining the integrity and quality of the trial, ensuring adherence to guidelines and minimizing risks. By setting clear KPIs and maintaining open, consistent communication, we were able to realign our objectives and progress more effectively. ❓ What strategies work for you when collaborating with CROs? ♻️ Share your experiences!

A reminder to all CS practitioners and leaders alike. Never set up a call to “just check in” - make sure you have a plan! Below is an actual example of guidelines I've put out for a few of my teams. Feel free to take them and make them your own. What else would you add? ________________________________ The check-in call is a good time to review the status of the partnership and mutually created goals, update any action items, discuss challenges, and adjust plans accordingly. You should also use this time to share any product updates! They will likely hear about things from a marketing drip campaign, but you are their trusted advisor, so it's great to hear them directly from you as well. A few other helpful things that can help guide content for these calls are: - Use Google Alerts and see if there's news about the customer. Bring up anything good or positive you've learned and ask probing questions about how and if this impacts their function. - Twitter and LinkedIn are also helpful for looking for updates that are interesting. - Come with a key insight that you've learned about their industry from others you are working with. Try showing them that you know their account and their market and that you are a valuable partner. - Look at usage trends. Has usage changed recently? Talk about usage trends and anything interesting you are seeing. Are there any other folks that should have access? - Try to get connected with other departments that could benefit from using this service/solution. - Bring up the past EBR goals and keep them at the center of the conversation. - Be prepared to discuss open tickets as it is likely to come up. Best Practices: - Before your call, send an agenda (at least 1 day in advance). Always be respectful of their time. Ask: - Is there anything you’d like to add to the agenda? - Is there any person who should be added to the call? - Come with some probing questions ready for problem statements or progress you’d like to assess. Always have a few and work them in naturally. When you start the call, start with some small talk, but keep things on track. - Have one slide that shows the agenda. Prioritize items by importance. - Try and stay on the agenda, but also listen for topics that may drive strategy. - Be flexible and prepare to adapt to their needs. Mind your talk-to-listen ratio. - It’s important that you lead and share, but make sure you talk less than the customers. Of course, I am not suggesting you sit in awkward silence, but make sure you are aware of how much you are speaking compared to them. Listening actively. Pay attention to what’s being said, how it’s being said, tone, body language, and any other non-verbal cues. This will help you gain a greater understanding of the overall health of the relationship. Follow through and follow up! - Always follow up with a thank you email with any information or actions clearly documented. These emails should be sent within 24 hours of the initial meeting.

30 60 90 Day Plans can be a very useful and simple method to drive specific process improvement projects or initiatives I generally use them to plan out specific projects and goals within an overall Continuous Improvement (CI) approach. 💠 I start with identifying a specific issue, and then breaking down the plan into three phases- 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. That's all kept very high-level, as in the visual below. 💠 The first 30 days are usually focused on learning and planning, the next 30 days are focused on implementation and monitoring and the final 30 days are focused on evaluation and optimization. The whole approach is kept in line with Lean Six Sigma thinking: PDSA- Plan Do Study Act and DMAIC- Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. 💠 Beyond the high-level plan, it's important to get into the nitty gritty details of improvement. This involves setting specific milestones for the end of each of the 30 day periods and agreeing roles and responsibilities with each team member. 💠 It is REALLY important to have systems and processes that support scheduled check-ins. If you are using cycle planning, the team must agree how they will communicate and collaborate. It may be a mixture of daily huddles, weekly team meetings, 1:1's or something else. 💠 It helps to use simple project management tools (e.g. Trello, Asana, or Microsoft Project) to visualize progress and manage tasks. Just make sure that support is high if people are unfamiliar with the technology as technology could be barrier otherwise! 💠 I like to keep it simple and at the end of each 30-day period, review the progress made towards the milestones. Discuss what worked well and what didn’t, and use these insights to improve the next phase. 💠 Remember to recognize all efforts and celebrate the achievements at each milestone. 💠 And when it comes to evaluation, conduct a thorough review of the entire initiative at the end of 90 days. Assess the outcomes against the original objectives. Gather feedback from the team on the process and outcomes to inform future projects. 💠 Really importantly, build in a continuous improvement approach to your process management. Establish a routine of regular feedback, monitoring, and adaptation to continually improve the process. Have you any experience with cycle planning? Have you any tips for people? Leave your thoughts in the comments 🙏 #changemanagement #strategicplanning #goals #continuousimprovement #cycleplanning #projectmanagement

You don’t need to micromanage to stay in the loop. But most leaders default to it... Without even realizing. Tracking BD progress should build clarity  and confidence. But too often, it feels like surveillance. That’s why the best leaders use the 5/15 Weekly  Check-In. ✅ Simple.  ✅ Scalable.  ✅ Zero meetings required. Here’s how the 5/15 Check-In pays off at every level. What it does for your team: 1. Builds ownership ↳ They drive the update — not you ↳ They reflect before reacting ↳ They choose what to share 2. Creates clarity ↳ They name their biggest obstacle ↳ They focus on what matters next ↳ They identify real progress 3. Spreads momentum ↳ They see wins happening across the team ↳ They highlight what’s working ↳ They learn from each other What it does for you: 1. Saves time ↳ You stay in the loop in 5 minutes ↳ You lead without adding meetings ↳ You replace surprise check-ins with structure 2. Improves coaching ↳ You spot patterns quickly ↳ You ask sharper questions ↳ You support without oversteering 3. Builds trust ↳ You recognize effort publicly ↳ You give space for honest updates ↳ You lead with consistency, not control This is how strong BD teams stay focused, aligned,  and supported without micromanagement. Here's the truth: You don’t need more check-ins. You need better check-ins. That’s how you build momentum week after week. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full Cheat Sheet? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf 

If you’re serious about career growth, do this👇 (Simple check-in routine + template) ——— 1️⃣ Block 15 minutes on your calendar every Friday. This is your check-in time. Protect it like you would an important meeting. It’s a moment for you to pause, reflect, and evaluate your progress. No distractions, no skipping. ——— 2️⃣ Ask yourself four simple questions. - What did I learn this week that helped me grow? - What challenges did I face, and how did I handle them? - What actions did I take to move closer to my career goals? - What will I focus on next week to keep growing? Attach this check-in template to your Friday calendar event, making it easy to reach for. If you want a PDF version of the template, DM me. ——— 3️⃣ Write down your responses and revisit them. When you make this a habit, you’ll start to notice patterns, improvements, and new opportunities. Remember: Career growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of consistent reflection and intentional action. ——— BONUS 4️⃣ Loop in an accountability partner. Share your weekly reflections with someone you trust — a mentor, colleague, or friend. Having someone to check in with adds an extra layer of accountability and can give you fresh perspectives on your progress. Plus, it keeps you motivated to stay consistent. ——— ♻️ 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 to share this with your network. 🧠 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 the Develop Daily newsletter for weekly playbooks on learning, career development, and productivity.

"𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲." 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻... 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. PepsiCo, 2015. Post-QBR high-fives all around. We'd identified three areas scoring below 4. Supplier acknowledged the gaps. Everyone agreed on what needed to improve. I checked back 6 weeks later. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: • Area 1: No progress • Area 2: "We're working on it" • Area 3: No one could remember what we'd committed to 𝗪𝗵𝘆? Because we didn't document the improvement plan. No owners. No deadlines. No follow-up scheduled. We scored them. We discussed it. We accomplished nothing. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟳 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗥𝗠 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿. 🎄 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Do your scorecards lead to documented improvement plans, or are they just data in a spreadsheet? SGAR requires action on scores below 4: → What specifically needs to improve? → Who owns it (both sides)? → Timeline for progress? → How will you measure success? → Act within 2 weeks of the QBR Scorecards without consequences don't drive behaviour change. 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗪𝗶𝗻 (𝟮𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻): For any area your supplier scored below 4, create a simple improvement plan using this template: 1. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗴𝗮𝗽: What exactly needs to improve? 2. 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲: Why is performance at this level? 3. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: What will they do? What will you do? 4. 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀: Who's responsible (both sides)? 5. 𝗗𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: When will we check progress? (2-4 weeks) 6. 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰: How will we know it worked? Share this with the supplier. Schedule a mid-quarter check-in to track progress. After that PepsiCo failure, I made improvement plans mandatory for any area scoring below 4. Template sent within 48 hours of QBR. Progress check scheduled immediately. No exceptions. Result? Supplier performance improved 23% year-over-year because we closed the loop. Measurement without action is just paperwork. Ps: Want the editable version of this template plus 23 other tactical vendor management tools? Sign up at https://lnkd.in/eJKDiq9P, you'll get the complete toolkit on December 25th.

Progress updates shouldn’t be boring. Learn how to make yours remarkable and make your contributions impossible to ignore. 1- ✔️Start with what is critical. Critical is that area of your work that is getting the most attention from your bosses. They always talk about it, and it has the most risk attached to it. 2- ✔️ Follow the 3 P's formula Structure updates around: Progress - what you accomplished Problems - delays, inefficiencies, etc Plans - your approach, views and suggested solutions. 3- ✔️ Be specific about accomplishments and milestones. Detail completed tasks, achieved milestones, and tangible outcomes. Stay here for a bit and earn all your points for doing a good job. Don't feel the need to rush through it; you've earned the bragging rights, haha. 4- ✔️ Show them something. Use visual progress indicators. Include charts, graphs, or dashboards to illustrate progress and key metrics. It can be as simple as a Word document or an Excel sheet, but show them something. Share your screen. As simple as it looks and sounds, it builds trust. 5- ✔️ Be a source of motivation. You are a leader right? Focus on motivating the team while being honest about challenges. Say something like: ‘This will be a big week, but if we work closely together to hit the milestones, we can expect to be in a good place to meet all deadlines. ’ 6-✔️ Talk about potential challenges. It shows foresight, proactiveness and leadership. Be transparent about issues that could impact the project in the long run. The earlier you draw everyone’s attention to it, the earlier it is de-escalated. 7- ✔️ Show interest in other areas of the project you are not directly responsible for. Contribute to those conversations and link them to your work. One-Team Mindset. 8- ✔️Think results, not just activities. Emphasise outcomes and impact rather than just describing what work was done or needs to be done. Connect your work updates to how they relate to project goals and objectives. 9- ✔️ Flag the dependencies and also flag the support you need. Be clear about what help you need. Directly state any assistance or input required from stakeholders. Highlight anything preventing progress and what's needed to move forward. 10-✔️ Share a note afterwards identifying key action points, assignees and due dates. Completed action points will form progress points for your next meeting. Rinse and repeat. Make sense? Repost this to your network ♻️ Go and be fantastic today. #Orebukola

Kevin "KD" Dorsey had me change this in our 1<>1s starting this year. And it has completely reframed our conversations... It used to say, "How are your energy levels this week?" He had me change it to, "How are you taking care of yourself this week?" Because I have to fill this out weekly, its no longer a passive update of how I'm doing. It's forcing accountability to invest in myself. And then he gets insight into my energy levels, what I'm doing about it & then gets to offer support/guidance. And I needed it this week. But for real - it DOES NOT WORK if you are BSing it or your leader doesn't give a sh**. Nor does it work if you don't intentionally make time to talk about it in your 1<>1. So... sorry KD, but I'm giving away the formula here for free: - Prepare your 1<>1 ahead of time - Leader READS & comments BEFORE the meeting - 10 Minutes for the quick updates: performance, pacing, KPIs, etc. (we both know these already going into the meeting, but being on the same page sets the next ~30 minutes) - 10 Minutes on the ID (Issue Diagnosis)- "x" metric is off. Why? Make sure we both understand. - 20 Minutes on the action: Ok, now that we know "x" is off and we know why, what are we doing about it. I bring ideas, he shapes them. We agree, make mutual commitments and WRITE THEM DOWN. - 20 Minutes: Check in on the human. Be human y'all. Amazing the progress you'll make in the aggregate when 1/3 of your 1<>1 is dedicated the well-being of the person.