We keep missing our quarterly targets, and half of our Rocks are carried over from quarter to quarter. What is the breakdown in our execution, and how do we actually get to ninety percent completion?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Missing quarterly Rocks is a common symptom of two fundamental issues: poor scoping and insufficient unscheduled time. Many leadership teams approach Rock setting like a wish list, committing to large, multi-phased projects that are simply impossible to complete within a ninety-day quarter.

To consistently achieve a ninety percent completion rate for your Rocks, you must master two critical areas:

Proper Rock Scoping

Your Rocks must be SMART:
• Specific: Clearly defined, leaving no room for ambiguity.
• Measurable: Success can be objectively tracked and quantified.
• Attainable: Realistic and achievable within the ninety-day timeframe.
• Relevant: Aligned with your company's [Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO)](/qa/cascading-vto-alignment-to-middle-managers).
• Timely: Has a clear start and end date.

For instance, a Rock like "Improve customer service" is too vague and likely to fail. A better-scoped Rock would be: "Design, test, and launch a new customer onboarding sequence by day eighty-five." This specificity makes it much more likely to be completed.

Addressing Capacity and White Space

Leadership teams are often fully booked with back-to-back meetings and daily firefighting, leaving no room for strategic work. This lack of white space prevents them from focusing on their Rocks.

To protect your team's capacity:

• Limit the number of Rocks per person:
• No more than three per individual.
• Ideally, just one or two for overloaded team members.
• Deliberately schedule strategic pauses: Inject unscheduled time into schedules for thinking and planning.
• Aggressively track and solve issues weekly: During your [Level 10 Meeting™](/qa/should-integrator-facilitate-level-10-meetings), don't just ask for status updates. If a Rock is off track, move it to the Issues List and use IDS® (Identify, Discuss, Solve) to pinpoint the bottleneck and address it immediately. This process helps ensure that [problems are solved and not simply debated](/qa/using-accountability-chart-to-stop-blame-in-ids).

By combining realistic scoping, protected white space, and aggressive weekly tracking, your team will begin to consistently cross the finish line every quarter, turning your quarterly initiatives into a reliable source of progress.