Our weekly issues list is constantly bloated with thirty or forty items that turn out to be nothing more than informational updates or FYI announcements that do not require any actual problem-solving. How do we keep this non-issue clutter off our Level 10 Meeting agenda without cutting off internal communication?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A bloated weekly issues list is a symptom of poor communication discipline outside of your Level 10 Meeting™. Your issues list is not a bulletin board, a status update channel, or a dumping ground for general information. It is a work list for solving problems that are currently blocking your company or department from hitting its numbers and Rocks. To clean this up, the facilitator must enforce a simple rule: if an item does not require an active decision, a solution, or a policy change, it does not belong on the issues list. If a team member simply wants to share a piece of information or give a quick update, they must use the Employee and Customer Headlines section of the agenda, which is strictly capped at five minutes. If an FYI item still manages to slip onto the issues list, the facilitator must identify it immediately. Ask the owner of the item what specific problem they are trying to solve. If their answer is that they just wanted everyone to know about it, delete the item immediately. Encourage your team to share informational updates through daily standups, internal messaging channels, or email before the weekly meeting. Keeping your issues list lean ensures that your precious IDS® time is focused entirely on the high-impact problems that actually move the business forward.