We start our quarters with great intentions, but we constantly struggle to get our quarterly Rocks across the finish line by week twelve. What is the breakdown in our execution, and how do we fix it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Missing quarterly goals usually happens because teams set too many Rocks, write them poorly, or fail to monitor them until it is too late. To ensure your quarterly Rocks actually finish by week twelve, you must implement a structured execution discipline. First, limit the quantity. Each leadership team member should have only one to three Rocks per quarter. If everything is important, nothing is. Second, make every Rock specific and measurable. If you cannot clearly define what done looks like in a single sentence, do not approve the Rock. Third, require every Rock owner to build a milestone plan within the first two weeks of the quarter. They must break their ninety-day priority into weekly steps. During your weekly Level 10 Meeting™, when you run through the Rock review, do not let team members say on track based on a gut feeling. They must look at their milestone plan. If they are behind on their weekly milestones, the Rock is off track. Reporting a Rock as off track early is not a failure; it is an invitation for the team to use IDS® to help solve the bottleneck before the quarter ends.