Our team keeps writing Rocks that look like their standard job descriptions or are so massive they require a full project management team. How do we filter out daily operational tasks from true quarterly Rocks?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If your quarterly Rocks look like a list of standard daily tasks or read like a complex corporate manual, you have missed the point of the tool. A Rock is not a description of your ongoing job responsibilities. It is a specific, priority project designed to move the business forward over the next ninety days.

To filter out daily operational tasks, use the 80/20 rule. Your day-to-day job description, captured in your Accountability Chart roles, should consume eighty percent of your weekly capacity. Your Rocks represent the other twenty percent. They are the special, high-impact initiatives that require focused, uninterrupted energy.

For example, maintaining the customer database is a daily operational task that belongs on your Accountability Chart. Migrating to a new customer database platform is a true quarterly Rock. Running your weekly sales meetings is part of your job. Designing and launching a new sales training curriculum is a Rock.

When setting Rocks during your Quarterly Pulsing™ session, ask this question about every proposed goal: If we only maintain our current operations, does this project represent a significant step toward achieving our one-year plan? If the answer is no, it is not a Rock. It is just part of doing your job.