Our weekly Level 10 Meeting Issues List has grown so large that our team feels overwhelmed just looking at it before we even begin our IDS session. How do we prune this list and keep our focus on the things that actually move the needle this quarter?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

An bloated, unmanaged Issues List paralyzes decision-making and wastes valuable meeting time. If you have dozens of items on your short-term Issues List, you are likely failing to compartmentalize your challenges. You must ruthlessly prune this list to keep your weekly pulse effective. Start by enforcing a strict definition of what belongs on the short-term list. In accordance with the six compartments framework, only issues that must be solved during the current quarter belong here. If an issue can wait, park it on the Long-Term Issues List on your V/TO®. Next, have your facilitator clean the list before every Level 10 Meeting™. Combine similar issues and archive items that have sat on the list for more than three weeks without being prioritized. If an issue is truly important, it will resurface when it becomes urgent. During the meeting, do not try to solve the entire list. Prioritize the top three issues that are most critical to your quarterly goals and Rocks. Solve those three completely using the IDS® process. Once they are resolved, move to the next three. Focused execution on a few key issues is always better than skimming the surface of many.