The Stop-Start-Continue meeting:

What is a start-stop-continue meeting

A start-stop-continue is relatively simple; it’s a retrospective exercise that helps you decide what you’re going to start doing, what you’re going to stop doing, and what you’re going to continue doing. Typically, it is completed by a group of people, such as a department or functional team, but it is also an exercise you can do as an individual.

When to use a start-stop-continue meeting

One of the great things about the stop-start-continue exercise is that it can be used in a variety of situations, including:

START OF A NEW YEAR
Whether it’s the start of the calendar year or your company’s fiscal year, a start-stop-continue is a great way to get your team thinking about they can improve and make the coming year better than the last.

MISTAKES
If you need to address a pattern of mistakes with your team but want to do so in a way that isn’t detrimental to their confidence, try using the stop-start-continue exercise. Ask them what they could start doing, stop doing, and continue doing that would prevent the mistake from happening again. This approach ensures everyone is focused on moving forward and taking action rather than dwelling on the error.

CHANGE INITIATIVE
When introducing and implementing a change initiative, it is a good idea to go through the stop-start-continue exercise, so your team knows what they will need to start, stop, and continue doing to implement the change successfully. In addition, this exercise helps with change adoption, as employees are personally involved in the change effort as they have input in adjusting their workloads to accommodate the needed changes.

POOR PERFORMANCE
When your team hasn’t been hitting their targets or goals, you can use the stop-start-continue to help the team identify why that is and what can be done about it.

ANNUAL PLANNING
During the period when you conduct your annual planning, set budgets, and create goals, use the start-stop-continue exercise to help you make decisions as a team.

How to conduct a start-stop-continue meeting?

A start-stop-continue is a simple team exercise to conduct. As the name suggests, there are three parts to it. During each part, you should ask a variety of open-ended questions that get your team thinking and collaborating with one another.

Imagine it as a dynamic conversation where you and your team collaboratively evaluate what's working, what's not, and what should be maintained. Think of it as a constructive checkpoint. By discussing what to initiate, halt, and sustain, you're crafting a roadmap for constant improvement. It's a smart way to harness the potential of your front-line managers and foster a culture of iterative enhancement. This practice goes beyond the surface – it's about nurturing high-performing teams through targeted adjustments.

A start-stop-continue is a simple team exercise. As the name suggests, there are three parts to it. During each part, you should ask a variety of open-ended questions that get your team thinking and collaborating with one another.

Think of it as a constructive checkpoint.