Our department heads are consistently missing their quarterly Rocks because they depend on deliverables from other busy departments who have their own priorities. How do we manage cross-functional dependencies during Rock setting so we do not end up with unfinished goals?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Rocks often fail at week twelve because of unspoken cross-functional dependencies. A department head sets a marketing Rock that requires three weeks of development time, but the engineering team already has their own capacity fully committed.

To solve this, you must run a dependency check during the Rock-setting portion of your quarterly session. Never finalize a Rock until every seat required for its execution has formally agreed to support it.

Follow this specific protocol during your quarterly planning:
- When a Rock is proposed, the owner must state if they need help from any other department.
- If assistance is needed, the supporting department head must evaluate their capacity and formally accept the sub-task.
- If the supporting department does not have the capacity, the Rock must be downsized, delayed, or co-owned.

This practice prevents the common excuse of blaming another department for a missed milestone. If you accept a Rock, you own the outcome, which includes securing the commitment of your peers before the session ends.