Our weekly To-Do list is constantly bloated with large, multi-week projects that really should be handled as Rocks or departmental milestones, making it impossible to hit our ninety percent completion rate. How do we coach our team to write true weekly To-Dos instead of disguised projects?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When your weekly To-Do list is flooded with large, multi-week projects, your Level 10 Meeting™ execution will stall. This happens when team members do not understand the difference between a weekly action item and a Rock or milestone. They write vague To-Dos like update the onboarding manual or rebuild the sales pipeline, which are impossible to complete in seven days.

To fix this, the facilitator must enforce strict scoping rules for every To-Do captured during IDS®. Every weekly To-Do must pass the seven-day test. If the task cannot realistically be completed before next week's meeting, it is too big.

Use these guidelines to coach your team:
- Break down large initiatives into small, bite-sized tasks.
- Ensure every To-Do starts with a specific action verb, such as call, email, draft, or schedule.
- If a project takes four weeks, the weekly To-Do should be draft outline of section one, not complete the whole project.

By keeping your To-Dos tactical and short-term, you build a consistent drumbeat of execution. Your team will experience the momentum of hitting their ninety percent completion rate, and you will prevent your weekly meetings from feeling like a dumping ground for unfinished projects.