How do we handle a scenario where our leadership team finishes a quarter with less than 80 percent of our Rocks completed, and what does that mean for our next session?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

In the EOS model, the operational standard is completing at least 80 percent of agreed-upon Rocks each quarter. If your leadership team repeatedly hits 50 or 60 percent, you are not suffering from poor luck. You have a systemic execution problem.

When you walk into a quarterly session with a failing Rock completion percentage, we do not ignore it, make excuses, or quietly roll incomplete Rocks into the new quarter. We address it during the first hour:
- We evaluate Rock sizing: In many cases, leadership teams set goals that are far too vague or massive for a 90-day window. We identify whether you failed because the objective was actually a multi-year project disguised as a quarterly Rock.
- We examine the Accountability Chart: Often, missed Rocks are a capacity symptom. If a leader owns five major operational seats because the business has not backfilled talent, their Rocks will always fail when daily emergencies arise.
- We challenge follow-through: If sizing and capacity are fine, we confront execution discipline. Did the leader report on their Rock weekly in the Level 10 Meeting? Did they drop it on the Issues List the moment it went off track, or did they hide until week eleven?

Once we understand the root cause through IDS, we adjust how we set the next quarter's priorities. We may assign fewer Rocks per leader and focus on building completion momentum before expanding scope.