Keeping Everyone on Track During a CI Workshop: Lessons from the Trenches

If you’ve ever facilitated a Continuous Improvement (CI) workshop, you know it’s not all smooth sailing. No matter how well-prepared you are, there are always distractions, competing priorities, and moments when the energy dips.

Having run my fair share of these workshops, I’ve learned that what keeps a group focused isn’t just about the tools or agenda—it’s about how you manage the dynamics in the room.

In this post, I’m sharing what has worked for me (and what hasn’t) to keep everyone on track during a CI workshop. If you’ve struggled with workshops going off the rails or leaving with more confusion than action, these lessons might help.

Start with Clarity (and Repeat It Often)

Here’s the thing: if people don’t know why they’re there or what the end goal is, they’ll check out faster than you can say “DMAIC.” I’ve learned that even if I think I’ve set clear objectives, it’s worth over communicating them.

What Works:

• Kick-Off with the Big Picture: I start by tying the workshop to something meaningful—how it impacts the company’s goals, improves a customer experience, or makes life easier for the team. When people see the bigger purpose, they’re more invested.
• Set Specific Goals: Instead of saying, “We’re here to improve the process,” I’ll say, “By the end of today, we’ll have identified the top three bottlenecks and created an action plan to address them.” People need to know what success looks like.

What Doesn’t Work:

• Vague Introductions: If I just dive into activities without a clear “why,” people start to lose interest or shift focus to their emails (yes, I see you, multitaskers).
• Assuming Everyone Knows the Context: Even if most participants are familiar with the project, there’s always someone new who needs a quick overview.

Set Ground Rules (and Enforce Them)

Ground rules might feel unnecessary, but trust me—they work. I’ve been in workshops where side conversations spiral out of control or one person dominates, derailing the entire session. Setting expectations up front makes it easier to address these issues later.

What Works:

• Establishing Ground Rules Together: I like to ask the group to help set the rules. For example, I might say, “What do we need to agree on to make this session productive?” This gets buy-in from the team.
• Using a Parking Lot: When someone veers off-topic, I write their idea on a “parking lot” flip chart and promise to revisit it later. This way, they feel heard without hijacking the agenda.

What Doesn’t Work:

• Ignoring Disruptions: If I let side conversations or tangents go unchecked, they multiply. People follow the energy in the room, so if it’s off-topic, everyone gets pulled that way.
• Overloading the Parking Lot: If too much ends up in the parking lot, people start to feel like their input isn’t valued. I’ve learned to circle back to those items if there’s time or clearly explain why we’re tabling them.

Keep the Agenda Tight (and Stick to It)

A solid agenda is your workshop’s backbone. Without it, time slips away, and before you know it, you’ve spent an hour on one small issue while the big ones remain untouched.

What Works:

• Timeboxing Everything: I use a timer to keep us moving. If we’re doing a SIPOC analysis, I’ll say, “We have 30 minutes to map this out—let’s stay focused.” When the time’s up, we move on, even if it’s not perfect.
• Breaking It Into Chunks: People stay focused when the session is broken into manageable sections. For a five-hour workshop, I’ll alternate between activities like process mapping and brainstorming to keep things fresh.

What Doesn’t Work:

• Overloading the Agenda: If there’s too much packed in, it stresses people out, and discussions feel rushed. I’ve learned to focus on a few key outcomes rather than trying to solve everything in one session.
• Skipping Breaks: Once, I ran a workshop without a proper break. Big mistake. By hour three, the room felt like a zombie apocalypse. Now, I build in short breaks every 90 minutes.

Engage the Group (and Prevent Drift)

Workshops can fall apart if people aren’t engaged. Some people naturally contribute, while others stay quiet or get distracted. I’ve found a few tricks to keep everyone dialed in.

What Works:

• Interactive Activities: Instead of just talking through a process, I’ll have the team use sticky notes to map it out. Getting people up and moving keeps their energy high.
• Rotating Roles: Assigning roles like timekeeper, scribe, or facilitator helps everyone stay involved. No one can zone out if they have a job to do.
• Balancing Voices: I’ll ask quieter participants for their input directly: “Alex, you work closely with this process—what’s your perspective?”

What Doesn’t Work:

• Letting One Person Dominate: If one person takes over, others disengage. I’ve learned to step in and redirect: “That’s a great point, Chris. Let’s hear from someone else who works on this step.”
• Assuming Silence Means Agreement: Just because someone isn’t speaking doesn’t mean they agree. I’ll pause and ask, “Does anyone see this differently?”

Handle Distractions Gracefully

Distractions are inevitable. Phones buzz, laptops beckon, and side conversations pop up. The trick is managing them without killing the vibe.

What Works:

• Addressing It Early: If someone keeps checking their email, I’ll say (lightheartedly), “I see we have some multitasking happening—let’s make sure we’re all focused so we can finish on time.”
• Making It Fun: I’ll sometimes introduce humor or gamify parts of the workshop. For example, I’ve used a timer and given a small prize to the team that completes their current state process map first.

What Doesn’t Work:

• Ignoring It: Distractions spread quickly if you don’t address them. I’ve had workshops where one side conversation derailed the entire group’s focus.
• Being Too Harsh: Calling someone out too aggressively can shut them down and sour the group dynamic. It’s better to keep things positive.

End with Clear Next Steps

One of the biggest challenges in CI workshops is turning ideas into action. I’ve found that if you don’t assign owners and deadlines before everyone leaves, momentum fizzles.

What Works:

• Recapping Key Decisions: I summarize what we accomplished and write it on the whiteboard. For example, “We identified three key bottlenecks and agreed on these countermeasures…”
• Assigning Action Items: For every solution, I’ll ask, “Who owns this?” and “What’s the deadline?” This ensures accountability.
• Sharing Notes Quickly: After the workshop, I send a summary of action items within 24 hours so everyone knows their responsibilities.

What Doesn’t Work:

• Leaving Ambiguity: If no one owns the next steps, nothing gets done. I’ve seen great workshops fall apart because follow-through wasn’t clear.
• Waiting Too Long to Follow Up: People forget what happened if you wait weeks to share notes or schedule follow-ups.

The Bottom Line

CI workshops are powerful tools for driving improvement, but they’re also easy to derail. From my experience, keeping everyone on track comes down to preparation, structure, and a bit of finesse in managing the room. Start with clear goals, engage the group with interactive activities, and stay flexible when things don’t go as planned. Most importantly, make sure you leave with actionable outcomes and a clear plan to sustain momentum.

Every workshop is a learning experience. What works with one group might not work with another, but the key is to adapt and keep everyone focused on the ultimate goal: meaningful, measurable improvement.

And for more ideas and CI tools, make sure to check out my book, Lead from Any Seat.?