We run a highly seasonal landscaping and snow removal business where our revenue and workload fluctuate wildly throughout the year. How do we set weekly targets on our scorecard without constantly changing the goals every month?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Setting static, year-round targets for a highly seasonal business is a recipe for frustration. Your team will either easily crush their targets during peak seasons without pushing themselves, or they will consistently fail during slow seasons, leading to demoralization and data fatigue.

To make your scorecard work for a seasonal model, you have two practical options. The first option is to use seasonal tiers for your weekly targets. Instead of changing your goals every month, define three distinct operational seasons on your V/TO® and set unique scorecard targets for each. For example, you might have a peak season target, a transition season target, and an off-season target. When you transition from spring landscaping to winter snow removal, you officially update the target column on your scorecard to reflect the active season's parameters.

The second and often more elegant option is to track percentage-based metrics or capacity-utilization ratios rather than raw volumes. Instead of tracking the raw number of hours billed or jobs completed, track your weekly capacity utilization rate. For instance, your target might be to maintain an eighty percent utilization rate for your active crew, whether you have fifty employees in the summer or ten in the winter.

Whichever method you choose, ensure your targets are always tied directly to your annual budget and resource capacity. Your weekly scorecard must always reflect reality. By adjusting your targets systematically rather than reactively, you keep your team aligned and focused on maintaining peak operational efficiency, regardless of the weather outside.