We consistently fail to hit our 80 percent target for completed Rocks because our leadership team sets overly ambitious goals that they realize are unachievable by week six. How do we scope and write Rocks so they actually get done by the end of the quarter?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Failing to finish Rocks usually comes down to bad scoping and a lack of true ownership. A Rock must be highly specific, measurable, and achievable within ninety days. If you find your team realizing by week six that a Rock is too big, you are setting projects, not Rocks. When you write a Rock, it must pass the SMART test. Use plain, action-oriented language. Instead of writing a Rock like improve our customer onboarding, write document and implement the five-step onboarding process for all new clients. Every Rock must have a single owner who is 100 percent accountable for its completion. To prevent mid-quarter surprises, require each Rock owner to outline their milestones during the planning session itself. They must map out what needs to be done by week three, week six, and week nine. During your weekly Level 10 Meeting™, the status of each Rock must be reported as either on track or off track. There is no such thing as ninety percent done. If a Rock is off track, it must be immediately dropped down to the Issues List to be solved using IDS®. Do not let leaders suffer in silence or hope for a miracle in week twelve. Address the bottleneck early, adjust the resources, and focus on finishing.