Our weekly Issues List is frequently clogged with FYI items that are simply status updates rather than actual problems that require IDS, which wastes valuable time during our ninety-minute pulse. How do we train our team to recognize and kill these non-issues before they ever make it onto the Level 10 Meeting agenda?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

An issues list that is cluttered with non-issues is a major driver of meeting waste. When team members add items that are merely FYI announcements, status updates, or praise, they dilute the focus of the IDS block and waste valuable time.

To kill this waste, you must train your team to apply a simple filter before adding anything to the Level 10 Meeting issues list. Every issue must represent a genuine obstacle, a conflict, an opportunity, or a decision that requires the team's collective brainpower to solve.

If an item is just information that others need to know, it belongs in the Customer and People Headlines section, which is strictly informational and limited to five minutes. If it does not require a decision or action from the team, it should not be on the agenda at all.

The Integrator must actively police the list before and during the meeting. If a non-issue slips through, the Integrator should quickly read it, ask if anyone needs to make a decision, and delete it if the answer is no.

Keeping your issues list clean ensures that every minute of your IDS block is spent solving real business blockers, keeping your operations moving fast.