We have several critical to-dos that keep getting pushed from week to week with the excuse that we are waiting on an external vendor or client response. How do we keep these external-dependency tasks from stalling our Level 10 Meeting execution?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Allowing weekly to-dos to linger on the list because you are waiting on a client, vendor, or partner is a major execution trap. It creates a culture where external factors are accepted as valid excuses for stalling progress. In the EOS framework, a to-do must be something that can be fully completed within seven days.

If a task requires action from an outside party, the to-do should not be defined as getting the final response from them. That is outside of your team member's direct control. Instead, redefine the to-do to focus entirely on the actions your team member can take.

For example, instead of writing a to-do that says get signed contract back from client, write the to-do as send revised contract and follow up by phone twice. Once those actions are taken, the to-do is complete. If the client still has not signed, a new to-do is created for the following week, or the bottleneck is moved to the short-term Issues List for IDS.

By defining to-dos based solely on internal actions, you maintain total control over execution. Your team members can no longer use external delays as a shield, and your meeting momentum stays high.