Free Leader Standard Work Template (Excel)
What is Leader Standard Work and why it matters
Leader Standard Work (LSW) is a lean-management practice where a leader's recurring responsibilities — gemba walks, huddles, 1:1s, safety checks — are written down as a standard, then tracked the same way any other process is tracked. Without it, leadership routines are the first thing to slip when the day gets busy.
Writing routines down with an owner and a cadence turns 'I try to walk the floor most days' into something you can actually verify happened, which is the entire point of standard work applied to leadership.
What's inside the free leader standard work template
The Routine Master sheet lists each routine or task with its owner, cadence (Daily, Weekly, or Monthly), a standard time or trigger for when it happens, and a notes field. Summary formulas count how many routines you have at each cadence, so you can see your routine mix at a glance.
The Weekly Grid sheet is where the tracking happens: one row per routine, one column per day, and you mark an x whenever that routine is completed. Done-per-day counts at the bottom total how many routines were completed on each day of the week.
Daily, weekly, and monthly routines explained
Daily routines are the ones that anchor a leader's day — a floor walk, a start-of-shift huddle, checking a safety board. Weekly routines are typically reviews: a KPI review, a 1:1 schedule, a planning meeting. Monthly routines are usually audits or broader reviews that don't need daily attention.
The Cadence column on the Routine Master lets you tag each routine so the mix is visible — if your routine list is mostly Daily with nothing Weekly or Monthly, that's worth noticing before it becomes a gap.
Tracking completion with the Weekly Grid
Each week, mark an x in the Weekly Grid for every routine completed that day. The done-per-day totals at the bottom give you a quick read on how consistent the week was, without needing a separate report.
To move to a new week, copy the Weekly Grid tab (right-click the tab, then Move or Copy) and clear the marks — this version tracks one week's grid at a time and doesn't calculate a rolling completion percentage or a multi-week trend chart.
How to use it
- List your leader routines in the Routine Master sheet with an owner, a cadence, and a standard time or trigger.
- Each week, mark an x in the Weekly Grid for every routine completed per day.
- Check the done-per-day counts at the bottom of the grid for a quick read on the week's consistency.
- Copy the Weekly Grid tab (right-click the tab > Move or Copy) to start a fresh week.
Download the free Free Leader Standard Work Template (Excel)
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use this leader standard work template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the downloaded file to Google Drive, then open it and choose File > Save as Google Sheets. The routine counts and weekly grid work the same way.
Is this template really free?
Yes. You give an email address to download it, and then it's yours to use with no further cost.
Does it calculate a completion percentage per cadence?
Not in this version — the Weekly Grid gives you done-per-day totals so you can see consistency at a glance, but it does not calculate a completion % broken out by Daily, Weekly, or Monthly cadence.
Does it show a 4-week compliance trend?
No. This template tracks one Weekly Grid at a time; to keep a history, copy the tab for each new week rather than expecting an automatic multi-week trend chart.
How do I start a new week?
Right-click the Weekly Grid tab and choose Move or Copy to duplicate it, then clear the x marks for the new week — that keeps your prior weeks intact as separate tabs.
What's the usage license?
Personal use or use within one business. It's not meant to be resold or redistributed as a template product.