Our leadership team generates 15 to 20 To-Dos every single week during IDS, overwhelming everyone and ensuring several items get dropped. How do you control To-Do volume and scope so the list remains actionable?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A Level 10 Meeting™ that generates fifteen to twenty To-Dos is suffering from a scoping failure during IDS®. When an Integrator allows leaders to scatter small, administrative chores across the board or treat complex research projects as seven-day tasks, accountability collapses under sheer administrative weight.

A high-performing leadership team typically creates four to seven meaningful To-Dos coming out of sixty minutes of IDS®. To throttle volume and protect execution, apply three strict scoping filters before logging any task:

- The Seven-Day Test. A To-Do must be completely doable within seven days. If the assignment involves deep discovery, cross-functional vendor evaluations, or extensive system re-architecture, it is not a To-Do. It is either a quarterly Rock, a milestone within an existing Rock, or an issue that must be brought back next week with specific research data.
- Single Ownership. A To-Do can belong to only one human being. Never assign a task to two people or a department. When two people own a To-Do, nobody owns it. If collaboration is required, assign the task to the person responsible for delivering the final result.
- The Issue Solved Filter. Before writing down the To-Do, the Integrator asks the issue owner: Does completing this specific task permanently solve the issue or move it forward conclusively? If the answer is vague, the team has not finished the solve step in IDS®.

By raising the bar for what qualifies as an operational To-Do, you eliminate low-value busywork and give leaders the bandwidth to hit the 90 percent completion standard every single week.