We are ready to begin our implementation, but we currently have messy, delayed monthly financial reports. Do we need to have clean, real time financial scorecards completely built out before we can host our first Focus Day with you?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You do not need perfect, real-time financial reporting to begin your EOS® implementation with me. In fact, if you wait until your operational ducks are in a row before starting, you will never start. Messy financial reporting is actually a symptom of a deeper organizational issue that we will address directly in our early sessions.

During our first Focus Day, we will build your initial Scorecard. This is a collection of five to fifteen weekly activity-based metrics that predict your future financial results. If your backward-looking financial reports are currently delayed, your activity-based weekly numbers become even more critical because they give us immediate operational visibility.

As we progress through the first ninety days, we will use the IDS® process to tackle your financial reporting bottlenecks. If your accounting department is failing to produce monthly statements on time, we will identify whether this is an Accountability Chart issue, a process documentation issue, or a software system issue.

By using the tools to systematically solve these bottlenecks, your financial reporting will naturally clean up. We do not need a pristine balance sheet or a perfect profit and loss statement to establish your first set of Rocks and clarify your team roles. We only need a leadership team that is fully committed to transparency and ready to look at their current operational reality with total honesty.