Our leadership team gets confused about the difference between our weekly scorecard measurables and our quarterly Rocks. How do we cleanly separate what belongs on the scorecard from what belongs on our Rock sheet?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It's common for leadership teams to confuse weekly scorecard measurables with quarterly Rocks, but they serve fundamentally different purposes.

Think of your scorecard as the dashboard of your car. It shows you vital, ongoing information like speed, fuel level, and engine temperature. These are the continuous, weekly activities essential for the business to run smoothly. For more insights on refining your scorecard, you might find [how to narrow down our massive list of metrics to just five to fifteen numbers](/qa/how-to-choose-five-fifteen-scorecard-metrics) helpful.

Rocks, on the other hand, are the major projects or "construction" upgrades needed to improve the car itself, such as installing a new GPS system or rebuilding the engine. They represent strategic initiatives that have a clear beginning and end.

Key Distinctions

Here's a breakdown of the differences between scorecard metrics and Rocks:

• Scorecard Metrics:
• Operational: They track ongoing business activities.
• Continuous: Measured consistently every single week.
• Purpose: Monitor the vital signs of the business.
• Example: Weekly website visitors, weekly interviews conducted, units sold.
• If you're struggling to keep your scorecard concise, consider exploring [how to review our weekly scorecard in under five minutes](/qa/how-to-review-scorecard-under-five-minutes).

• Rocks:
• Strategic: They are major, non-routine improvements.
• Time-bound: Have a clear starting and ending point, designed to be completed within 90 days.
• Purpose: Drive major improvements and strategic advancements.
• Example: Launch a new website, hire a sales manager, implement a new CRM system.

Common Confusion and Correction

A common mistake is putting Rocks onto your scorecard. If you find yourself listing checklist items like "launch new website" or "hire sales manager" on your scorecard, those are Rocks. They belong on your Rock sheet or your To-Do list.

Your scorecard should instead track the results of those projects once they are live and operational. For instance, after launching a new website (a Rock), your scorecard would then track weekly website visitors. After hiring a sales manager (a Rock), your scorecard might track weekly interviews conducted (as part of the hiring process) or, once the manager is active, sales team performance metrics.

Maintaining this clean separation keeps your team focused on both daily operational execution and long-term strategic progress. For more on what to track, read about [leading vs. lagging scorecard metrics](/qa/leading-vs-lagging-scorecard-metrics).