During IDS, our team frequently agrees on a solution and creates a To-Do, only to realize mid-week that the action item is actually a massive multi-week project rather than a 7-day task. How do we prevent assigning stealth Rocks during our Level 10 Meeting?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A stealth Rock occurs when the leadership team crafts a solution during IDS that sounds simple in conversation but requires thirty to sixty days of intensive cross-functional effort to execute. Labeling a major initiative as a 7-day To-Do sets up your team for failure, drags down your completion rate, and distracts leaders from their true quarterly Rocks.

The facilitator must act as a gatekeeper during the Solve step of IDS. Before any action item is finalized, ask the designated owner two questions: Can this be completely finished in seven days, and do you have the dedicated capacity this week to execute it without derailing your current Rocks?

If the answer to either question is no, you are looking at a project, not a To-Do. You then have three options.

First, table the initiative for the next quarterly planning session if it can wait, parking it on the Long-Term Issues List.

Second, if the problem is so severe that it cannot wait until next quarter, the team must formally elevate it to an emergency Rock, which requires deprioritizing an existing Rock to free up real bandwidth.

Third, identify the immediate, bite-sized step that can be completed within seven days. That might mean drafting a one-page scope document or compiling a single data set. Assign that small piece as the To-Do, review it next week, and take the next step. Never allow a multi-week initiative to masquerade as weekly tactical housekeeping.