When a scorecard number is missed, our Sales seat and Marketing seat spend ten minutes arguing over whose data source is correct. How do we establish a single source of truth for our weekly numbers during the Level 10 Meeting™?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Arguing over data sources during a Level 10 Meeting™ is a major threat to your operational traction. If your team does not trust the numbers on the scorecard, they will spend their time debating the math instead of solving the issues.

To resolve this, you must establish a single source of truth for every metric before the meeting. The seat owner who is accountable for the scorecard row must define the exact data source, the collection method, and the calculation formula. This definition should be documented in a central data dictionary.

If two departments rely on different software systems that show conflicting numbers, the leadership team must agree on which system is the official record for that specific metric. Once that decision is made, all debate ends.

If a discrepancy arises during the review, do not allow a debate to derail the meeting. Drop the data discrepancy to the Issues List. During the IDS® portion of your meeting, you can identify why the systems are misaligned and permanently fix the reporting process. Keep your scorecard review focused on performance, not system integration issues.