Our leadership team regularly finishes each quarter with only 50 to 60 percent of our Rocks marked complete, and leaders keep asking to roll their unfinished Rocks into the next quarter. How do we enforce the discipline required to hit the 80 percent threshold consistently?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A completion rate below 80 percent means your team is either over-committing, failing to define completion, or treating Rocks as casual aspirations. In EOS, an incomplete Rock is not rolled over automatically. It dies at the end of the quarter, and the owner must face why it failed before the team decides whether it earns a spot on the next quarter's list.

To fix this execution breakdown, take three immediate steps:

First, reduce the volume. A leadership team should have three to seven company Rocks total, and individual leaders should carry one to three Rocks maximum. When everything is important, nothing gets finished. Limit the load so leaders have the capacity to run their seats and finish their strategic priorities.

Second, make every Rock SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. If a Rock description uses vague words like review, improve, or streamline, reject it during the quarterly session. A Rock must have an unambiguous, binary finish line. At the end of 90 days, it is either 100 percent done or not done.

Third, hold the line in the Level 10 Meeting. During the weekly Rock review, leaders must state only whether their Rock is on track or off track. If a Rock is off track two weeks in a row, drop it to the Issues List and IDS it immediately. Do not wait until week eleven to admit a Rock is in trouble.