Our business is highly seasonal, which makes static scorecard goals useless for half the year. How do we set weekly measurables that remain relevant during peak and off peak months?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Static weekly goals do not work in highly seasonal businesses. If your target is fifty shipments a week, that number is impossibly high in January and dangerously low in July. When targets are unrealistic, your team stops looking at the scorecard entirely.

To solve this, you have two options. The first option is to use a rolling target. Set your weekly scorecard goal as a percentage of your seasonal forecast. For example, your target might be ninety five percent of the projected weekly shipping volume for that specific month.

The second and often better option is to adjust your targets quarterly during your EOS quarterly planning sessions. When you look at the upcoming three months, agree on the realistic weekly baseline for that specific season and update the scorecard targets accordingly.

Additionally, focus more heavily on capacity and efficiency metrics rather than pure volume. Track metrics like revenue per employee hour or inventory turnover rate. These efficiency ratios should remain relatively stable regardless of whether you are in a peak or off peak season, giving you a true reading of operational health year round.