Wednesday — Course Check
Duration: 15 minutes (hard stop) Facilitator: Same person as Monday When: Mid-week
Purpose
Surface blockers early enough to course-correct before the week is lost. This is not a status update — it’s a steering check.
Use this at the midpoint of your working week. Wednesday is the default, not a requirement.
Before the Meeting (Facilitator, 2 min prep)
- Glance at the board — anything obviously stuck?
- Note Monday’s intended Landings
Script
| Time | Activity | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 min | For each intended Landing: Green / Amber / Red | On track? At risk? Blocked? Only discuss Amber and Red. |
| 10–15 min | Unblock or adjust | For anything at risk: what would unblock it? Can we reduce scope and still land something meaningful? Do we need to escalate? |
Outputs
- Blockers identified and escalated (or solved on the spot)
- Scope adjusted where needed — better to land 80% than miss 100%
- No surprises on Friday
Anti-Patterns
| ❌ Don’t | ✅ Do |
|---|---|
| Go around the room for individual status updates | Focus only on the intended Landings — are they at risk? |
| Re-plan the week | Course-correct, don’t restart |
| Run longer than 15 minutes | If it needs more time, it’s a conversation for two people after the meeting |
| Ignore amber items hoping they’ll resolve | Amber on Wednesday is red on Friday — act now |
| Skip it because “everything’s fine” | The meeting is 15 minutes. Hold it. The one week you skip is the week something slips. |
Format Options
This can be:
- A quick standup-style huddle (in person or video)
- An async Slack thread if the team is distributed (“🟢🟡🔴 for each intended Landing + one line if amber/red”)
- A 15-min video call
Pick whatever gets honest signal fastest. The format matters less than the habit.