When a Scorecard measurable stays red for the first six weeks of a quarter despite our efforts, should we lower the target mid-quarter to make it achievable or keep it red until quarterly planning?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Never lower a Scorecard target mid-quarter to make your team feel better. Lowering targets mid-stride undermines the entire purpose of running on data. It normalizes underperformance, hides root-cause operational failures, and destroys organizational discipline.

A red number is not a punishment or a moral judgment. It is neutral, objective feedback that your current process, staffing, or execution is insufficient to produce the outcome required by your business plan. When you lower the bar simply to turn a cell green, you distort reality and rob the team of the urgency needed to fix the underlying problem.

Keep the measurable red. Every single week that it misses target, drop it straight down to the Issues List during the Scorecard review of your Level 10 Meeting. Use IDS to aggressively uncover why the number is failing:

- Is the issue rooted in poor individual execution or seat fit?
- Has a process broken or failed to scale with volume?
- Was the initial assumption or capacity calculation mathematically flawed?

If the issue cannot be resolved during the quarter, it becomes a primary topic for your next quarterly planning session. At that point, the leadership team can adjust the annual plan, reset the V/TO milestones, and establish a new baseline based on validated data.