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 often fail in highly seasonal businesses because they quickly become unrealistic. For example, a target of fifty shipments a week might be impossible in January and too low in July. When targets are consistently missed or easily surpassed, teams tend to disengage from the scorecard.

Setting Relevant Weekly Measurables

To address this, consider two primary approaches for setting weekly scorecard goals that remain relevant throughout the year.

1. Rolling Targets Based on Forecasts

Set your weekly goal as a percentage of your seasonal forecast. This method dynamically adjusts targets based on expected volume.

• Example: Your target could be 95% of the projected weekly shipping volume for that specific month.
• This ensures that your team is always striving for a challenging yet achievable goal, reflecting the natural ebbs and flows of your business.

2. Quarterly Target Adjustments

A second, often more effective, option is to adjust your targets quarterly during your [EOS quarterly planning sessions](/qa/why-eos-quarterlies-must-be-full-days).

• During these sessions, review the upcoming three months.
• Agree on a realistic weekly baseline for that specific season.
• Update your scorecard targets accordingly. This allows for proactive adjustments, ensuring your [scorecard metrics](/qa/how-to-choose-five-fifteen-scorecard-metrics) align with current realities. You can also review [when to change weekly scorecard metrics](/qa/when-to-change-weekly-scorecard-metrics) to maintain consistency.

Focus on Capacity and Efficiency Metrics

In addition to adjusting volume-based targets, shift a greater focus to capacity and efficiency metrics. These metrics tend to remain stable regardless of seasonality, offering a consistent view of operational health.

Examples of such metrics include:

• Revenue per employee hour: This measures how efficiently your team generates revenue.
• Inventory turnover rate: This indicates how quickly you are selling off inventory.

These [efficiency ratios](/qa/weekly-scorecard-metrics-for-maximum-valuation) provide a true reading of your operational health year-round, unlike pure volume metrics which fluctuate significantly. For roles like back-office functions, consider specific [back-office weekly scorecard measurables](/qa/back-office-weekly-scorecard-measurables) that focus on productivity and efficiency.

Related questions

• [How do we choose five to fifteen scorecard metrics?](/qa/how-to-choose-five-fifteen-scorecard-metrics)
• [When is it appropriate to change a scorecard number, and how do we do it without losing historical consistency?](/qa/when-to-change-weekly-scorecard-metrics)
• [What concrete weekly measurables should we track for our accounting and IT seats to keep them accountable without resorting to subjective check the box metrics?](/qa/back-office-weekly-scorecard-measurables)
• [How do we set realistic weekly goals without just guessing?](/qa/setting-scorecard-targets-without-historical-data)
• [How do we shift our focus from lagging results to weekly leading indicators?](/qa/leading-vs-lagging-scorecard-metrics)