We value your privacy

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalised ads or content, and analyse our traffic. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to our use of cookies.

Powered by
    TeamAssurance

    What is a tier 1 meeting?

    Short answer

    A tier 1 meeting is a short, stand-up huddle held by a frontline team and its team leader at the start of each shift, at the team's own visual board. In about five to fifteen minutes the team reviews the previous shift's safety, quality, delivery and cost results, plans the shift ahead and raises problems it cannot solve.

    Last updated · TeamAssurance

    Who attends

    The operators, technicians or nurses who do the work, led by their team leader or shift lead. Support staff such as a maintenance technician or quality inspector may attend if they are assigned to the area. Managers sometimes observe, but the team leader runs the meeting.

    When and how long

    Tier 1 is held at the start of every shift, at the board in the work area, standing up. It is the shortest meeting in the system, usually 5 to 15 minutes and never longer than the agenda requires. It must finish before the tier 2 meeting so escalations arrive in time.

    A standard tier 1 agenda

    1. Safety: incidents, near misses and hazards from the last shift, plus any safety message.
    2. Quality: defects, holds, complaints and any failed checks.
    3. Delivery: output against plan, downtime and today's schedule.
    4. Cost or people: staffing, absences, skills cover and material shortages.
    5. Actions: review open actions, agree new ones with an owner and date.
    6. Escalations: confirm which issues go to tier 2.

    What gets escalated

    The team solves what it can within its own authority and resources. An issue goes to tier 2 when it needs another department, a decision above the team leader's level, money, or more time than the team has. The team leader carries it up with the facts already recorded: what happened, when, the impact and any containment.

    Common mistakes

    • Sitting down or holding it in an office away from the work.
    • Reading out every number instead of focusing on misses.
    • Only the team leader speaking.
    • Escalated issues never coming back with an answer.

    Example

    At 6:05am a packing team reviews its board. A carton jam caused 40 minutes of downtime overnight; the team agrees a temporary adjustment, and because the root cause looks like a worn part, the team leader escalates it to the 7:30am tier 2 meeting with maintenance.

    How TeamAssurance helps

    TeamAssurance gives each frontline team a digital tier board with a time-boxed agenda, live measures and its 'New', 'To Do' and 'Overdue' activities in view. Frontline team members can raise an issue by recording a short video instead of typing on the floor, and anything the team cannot solve escalates to tier 2 with its context attached.

    Explore Tiered Daily Management Request a demo

    Frequently asked questions

    How long should a tier 1 meeting take?

    Typically 5 to 15 minutes. If it regularly runs longer, the agenda is usually too broad or problems are being solved in the meeting rather than assigned for follow-up.

    What is the difference between a tier 1 meeting and a shift handover?

    A shift handover passes information between outgoing and incoming crews. A tier 1 meeting reviews performance against targets, assigns actions and escalates issues; many sites combine the two at the start of the shift.

    Who should run a tier 1 meeting?

    The team leader or shift lead runs it. Rotating sections of the agenda among team members builds ownership and keeps everyone engaged.

    ← Back to the glossary