We consistently fail to hit our company-wide Rocks because team members run into roadblocks in the first four weeks and let the Rock sit until week eleven. How do we establish a mid-quarter tracking system to ensure Rocks actually finish?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To ensure your quarterly Rocks actually get finished, you have to eliminate the mid-quarter vacuum. This occurs when leaders set their Rocks, get busy with daily firefighting, and then panic in week eleven. You must establish a weekly check-in routine during your Level 10 Meeting™. Every week, each leader must report whether their Rock is on-track or off-track. This is not a status report or a detailed explanation; it is a simple binary check. If a Rock is off-track, it must immediately be dropped down to the issues list. You then use the IDS® process to identify the real bottleneck. Perhaps the leader lacks the resources, or maybe they underestimated the scope of the project. By identifying these roadblocks in week three or four, you give the team the opportunity to rally and help resolve the issue. If you wait until week ten, it is already too late. You should also ensure that every Rock has a highly specific, objective definition of done. If the definition of done is ambiguous, the team will naturally delay execution. A clear definition of done coupled with weekly binary reporting ensures that execution gaps are addressed in real time.