The Daily Morning Huddle for Roofing Crews

Crews that huddle ship more jobs

The daily tailgate huddle is the highest-leverage 10 minutes of a roofing company's day. Crews that huddle are aligned. Crews that do not, show up to the job, find problems, and waste 30 to 60 minutes figuring out who does what.

Here is how to run a daily morning huddle that actually works.

When and where

6:45 to 6:55 am at the yard (or shop, or warehouse) before crews roll to job sites. 10 minutes flat. Timer on the table.

Stand up. No chairs. Stand-up huddles run shorter because nobody gets comfortable.

Who attends

• Every crew lead
• Production manager
• Any sales rep needing to brief a crew on a specific job
• Owner (as available, not required daily)

Individual crew members do not attend the shop huddle. They meet with their crew lead at the job site for their own 5-minute tailgate.

The 10 minute agenda

Minute 0 to 2: Safety moment

One person (rotating) gives a 90-second safety moment:

• Weather forecast today, especially wind or afternoon storms
• Specific hazard for the day (steep roof, 3-story, tear-off with old layers)
• OSHA reminder relevant to today

Rotate the safety moment through every crew lead. Forces them to think about safety leadership.

Minute 2 to 7: Job assignments and targets

Production manager reads the schedule:

• Crew 1: 123 Main St, 28 square, tear and install, target 1 day
• Crew 2: 456 Oak Ave, 45 square, tear and install, target 1.5 days
• Crew 3: Finish yesterday's job at 789 Elm, then start 321 Pine

For each job, confirm:

• Materials delivered on site or loaded
• Dumpster delivered
• Customer contacted yesterday to confirm
• Any special notes from the sales rep

Minute 7 to 9: Blockers

Crew leads speak up:

• Missing materials
• Crew member called out
• Equipment issue (compressor, ladder, truck)
• Yesterday's job had a callback issue

Production manager resolves or assigns same day.

Minute 9 to 10: Energy close

Production manager or owner gives a 30 to 60 second energy close:

• Yesterday's win: crew X finished a 40 square job in 1 day
• Today's target: 4 install days, 3 inspections
• Reminder of the month: safety first, quality always, speed matters

End with a team break clap. Corny but it works. Sends everyone out with energy.

Communication board

Next to where huddles happen, post a whiteboard or monitor:

• Today's installs and crews assigned
• This week's targets
• Leading metric for the month: installs completed vs target
• Yesterday's safety incident count (target: 0)

If you use RoofKnockers, mirror the production schedule on a wall-mounted display in the yard. Everyone sees it.

Huddle variations for specific seasons

Storm season huddle

Add a 2-minute segment on storm zone updates. Where are we canvassing? What are today's canvass priorities? Running a storm? Read our storm readiness guide.

Winter repair huddle

In slower winter months, add a 2-minute segment on repair route optimization. Who is near which repair? Bundle them.

Friday huddle

On Fridays, add a 2-minute segment on weekend plans and Monday readiness. Is everything staged for Monday 6:45 am roll?

Field tailgate for crew members

After crew leads leave the shop huddle, they drive to the job. At the job, before any work starts, the crew lead runs a 5-minute field tailgate with crew members:

• Minute 0 to 1: Safety walkaround (ground, ladders, drop zone)
• Minute 1 to 3: Job scope (sections, sequence, tear order)
• Minute 3 to 4: Crew member assignments
• Minute 4 to 5: Questions and go time

This is where the real alignment happens on specific jobs. Shop huddle is the macro. Field tailgate is the micro.

What a good huddle sounds like

Confident voices. Short answers. Specific numbers. Quick decisions. Everyone looking at the board or the manager.

What a bad huddle sounds like

Long explanations. Crew leads arguing. Missing info. People on phones. Over-runs to 15 or 20 minutes.

If your huddle keeps going long, someone is unprepared. Usually production manager. Fix it by requiring huddle prep the night before: production manager reviews the next day's schedule at 5 pm, confirms materials and customers, and writes the huddle brief.

Huddle attendance policy

• On time means early. Crew leads in at 6:40 for a 6:45 huddle.
• Late once is a warning.
• Late twice is a write-up.
• Late three times loses Friday.

Sounds harsh. Crew leads who cannot get to 6:45 am huddles cost you hours every day at the job site too.

FAQ

Can we skip the huddle on slow days?

No. Skip once, you open the door to skipping whenever. Do the huddle even if it is 3 minutes long because only 1 crew is installing.

What if I have crews at different shops or yards?

Each yard runs its own huddle. Production manager rotates between yards or runs a 5-minute morning video call covering both.

Do huddles matter in winter?

Yes. Winter huddles coordinate smaller crews doing repairs. The logistics are just as complex as summer install routing. See our winter strategies guide.