Our quarterly Rocks consistently drag on past the ninety day cycle because we realize halfway through that they are actually massive, multi-phased projects rather than seventy five day objectives. How do we properly scope and write our Rocks during our quarterly sessions so they are guaranteed to finish?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Rocks fail to finish because leadership teams treat them like vague aspirations rather than binary, ninety-day commitments. To ensure your quarterly Rocks actually get done, you must master the art of scoping them during your quarterly planning sessions.

First, write every Rock using the SMART framework, making sure it is highly specific and 100 percent binary. By the end of the quarter, the answer to whether the Rock is complete must be a simple yes or no, with no room for debate. If a Rock is "Improve sales process," it will fail. If it is "Document and test the five-step sales process with three clients," it is clear.

Second, break every Rock down into milestones. When you set a Rock, the owner must draft a clear plan with three or four major milestones due at weeks three, six, and nine. This prevents the mid-quarter scramble. If a milestone is missed, it immediately becomes an issue for your Level 10 Meeting™ Issues List.

Third, limit your leadership team to three to five corporate Rocks. If everything is a priority, nothing is. If a proposed Rock cannot be realistically finished alongside daily operational duties, kill it, combine it, or push it to next quarter. Every Rock must have a single owner who has the GWC™ to deliver it. If two people own a Rock, nobody owns it.