Getting Started with Self Check-in

The Self Check-in is a 15-minute process to review and update your individual plan. It accomplishes three things:

Gets you current on what happened last week
Gets you clear on your top priorities for the coming week
Helps you communicate proactively to your manager and your team

It is your opportunity to, in the words of Stephen Covey, “Make what’s important urgent.” Here is an overview of the process.

Review, update statuses and add progress comments for the MORs and projects in your plan.
Prioritize your Plan Board.
Write a summary comment to update your manager on how your work is going.

Tip:

A good individual plan will have:

Three to five MORs
All of your top priority projects
Several proposed projects identified for the future
And all of your smaller, supporting items in your to-do list

To learn more about your individual plan, see Getting Started with Your Individual Plan.

How to Set a Self-Check-In Schedule

Self-check-in schedules help keep track of check-ins for both managers and team members. To be able to schedule a self-check-in a team member needs to be a Full Enrollee.

Follow the steps below to set up your self-check-in schedule.

For Managers

Managers can set self-check-in schedules for themselves or their team members by following these steps or watch the video below:

Navigate to the Calendar tab on your Plan Board.
To define your self-check-in schedule, click on My Leadership
1. Set the Schedule: Select the date, time, and frequency for your self-check-in.
To set a check-in schedule for your team, click on the Team Members
1. Check the Self Check-in required
2. Set the Schedule: Select the date, time, and frequency for your self-check-in.

For Team Members

Team members can set their self-check-in schedule by following these steps:

Click Your Name: On the side menu, locate and click your name.
Go to Preferences: In the menu, navigate to the Preferences section.
Set the Schedule: Select the date, time, and frequency for your self-check-in.
Save Changes: Click Save to finalize your schedule.

Once set, your self-check-in will follow the scheduled timing based on your preferences.

Performing a Self Check-in

To conduct a self-check-in:

Access your Plan Board.
Review and update statuses on MORs and projects.
- Focus on items in ‘In Progress,’ but also consider:Not Started Items: Add preliminary comments if you plan to begin them soon.
- Completed Items: Provide final notes or updates on recently finished projects.

Note:

Team members are more likely to check in on projects/MORs that are In Progress. However, it is advisable to:

Add a check-in comment on projects in None or Not Started for those waiting for them to begin or be completed.
Provide final notes/updates on Completed projects.

Check-in Comments

The Check-in Comments section is where team members can document updates, progress, and any important notes related to their tasks or projects. This helps maintain clear communication and ensures that managers and team members stay aligned on project statuses.

To open an item for check-in, click on the card or the check-in icon from your Plan Board.
In the Check-In Comments area, you can add a new comment and review previous comments to track updates over time.
Managers reviewing check-ins should visit the team member’s board, scan for recent comments and red/yellow flagged items, then open the check-in comments to provide feedback or ask questions.
For in-depth communication, use the Messages tab, which automatically filters to show only check-in-related messages when accessed from the check-in comments.

Visual Alerts of Check-in Schedule

State status icons alert you when a MOR or project needs checked in. You can set a check-in schedule for each item in your plan (see the next section to learn how to set the schedule). Based on that schedule, the status icon will alert you as to when you need to perform a check-in.

The hourglass indicates a check-in is coming due within the next two days.

The exclamation point indicates a check-in is overdue.

The clear state icon indicates this item is up-to-date based on the check-in schedule.

Learn more:

To learn how to change a MOR or project's check-in schedule, see Change a MOR or Project's Check-in Schedule

Finalizing Your Self Check-in

After updating all relevant items:

Initiate Self Check-in Completion: Click the 'Self Check-In' button located at the top right of your Plan Board.
Communicate with Your Manager: This action allows you to send a notification to your manager, indicating the completion of your check-in and sharing any additional notes.

What happens when you complete your self check-in?

When you complete your weekly Self Check-in, those you selected to notify will receive both a LeadFirst message and an email with your overall comment included and a link to your plan.

Also, any items you updated will also be updated in your team’s operating plan Dashboard. Reviewing this dashboard is an important part of your Weekly Team Check-in meeting.