We are running on EOS® but our cross-functional quarterly Rocks constantly stall because they require resources from multiple departments who are prioritizing their own individual Rocks. How do we keep these shared Rocks moving without creating internal friction?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Shared quarterly Rocks are one of the most common friction points in growing companies. When a Rock requires input from multiple departments, it often stalls because team members prioritize their own individual goals first. To fix this, you must understand there is a consistent one way to do EOS the right way, and that means every Rock must have exactly one owner. Even if a Rock requires a massive effort from marketing, sales, and operations, only one seat on your Accountability Chart can own it. That owner is responsible for coordinating the project and pulling in the necessary resources. During your weekly Level 10 Meeting, the Rock owner must report whether the Rock is on track or off track. If a contributing department is failing to deliver their part of the project, that is not an excuse for the Rock to be off track. Instead, the owner must immediately raise this as an issue on the Issues List. During the IDS portion of your meeting, the leadership team must solve the resource bottleneck. This keeps the accountability clear. You are not dividing the ownership; you are using the team to unblock the single owner. Additionally, when setting these cross-functional Rocks during your quarterly session, the leadership team must explicitly agree on the resources required from other departments before committing to the Rock. If a department head cannot commit the necessary support because of their own department Rocks, you must either scale back the scope of the Rock or decide not to do it this quarter.