Our weekly Scorecard has grown to over thirty numbers, and our leadership meetings are bogging down in endless discussions about minor fluctuations. How do we simplify our metrics to keep us focused?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A Scorecard with thirty numbers is not a Scorecard; it is a spreadsheet. When you track everything, you track nothing. The purpose of the EOS® Scorecard is to give you a pulse on the business and predict future performance with just five to fifteen high level, weekly activity-based numbers.

To clean up your Scorecard, start by ruthless elimination. Review every metric currently on the list and ask if it is truly a leading indicator that predicts a future result. If a number is just tracking historical data that you cannot change, or if it is a detail that belongs on a departmental scorecard rather than the leadership scorecard, remove it immediately.

Every metric on your leadership Scorecard must have one owner who is accountable for keeping that number in the green. If a number drops below the target, it should not trigger a thirty minute debate. Instead, drop the number to the issues list to be solved during the IDS® portion of your Level 10 Meeting™. By keeping your Scorecard lean, you restore its ability to serve as an early warning system, allowing your team to spot operational icebergs weeks before they hit your financial statements.