We set our quarterly Rocks but a major shift in our market or a new competitor technology often makes a Rock obsolete by week six. Do we pivot the Rock mid-quarter, kill it completely, or force our way to the finish line anyway?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When an external market shift or technological disruption makes a Rock obsolete mid quarter, you must resist the urge to simply ignore it or scramble to change it on the fly. Doing so creates organizational whiplash and erodes the discipline of the quarterly cycle.

Your quarterly Rocks are set in stone during your quarterly pulsing session. If a Rock truly becomes irrelevant because of an unforeseen disruption, you have two disciplined options. You can either keep the Rock and complete it as a learning exercise, or the leadership team must mutually agree to kill the Rock during a Level 10 Meeting™.

If you kill the Rock, it is recorded as incomplete for the quarter. Do not replace it with a new Rock mid quarter. Replacing it ruins your focus and causes team members to chase shiny objects. Instead, capture the new priority on your Issues List and address it during your weekly IDS® sessions. You can handle the immediate tactical responses weekly, but save the strategic redirection for your next quarterly pulsing session.

Keep in mind that ninety day sprints are designed to build focus. Most market disruptions can wait six weeks for your next quarterly meeting. By maintaining this boundary, you teach your team that Rocks are serious commitments, not suggestions that can be rewritten whenever a new technology or competitor appears.