We have several issues on our Level 10 Meeting™ list that have been rolling over for six weeks, and we waste ten minutes every meeting rehashing them without making a decision. How do we kill this meeting waste and force a permanent resolution during IDS®?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When the same issues keep appearing on your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ list week after week, it means your team is failing to IDS® properly. You are discussing and debating, but you are not solving. This passive approach creates massive meeting waste and stalls your company's progress.

To break this logjam, the facilitator must force a decision. When you reach an issue that has rolled over more than twice, you must run it through a strict IDS® filter.

First, identify the root cause of the problem. Often, issues roll over because the team is trying to solve a symptom rather than the real, underlying bottleneck. Take a step back and ask, What is the real issue here?

Second, during the discussion phase, do not allow team members to repeat the same points. Once everyone has had their say, move immediately to the solve phase.

Third, create a concrete solution. A real solution always results in a To-Do assigned to one person, a change to your processes, or an update to your Accountability Chart. If the issue is too big to solve in a weekly meeting, the solution is to assign a To-Do to research it, or to elevate it to your quarterly V/TO® list.

Never let an issue sit on the weekly list just because it is hard. Force a decision, assign the action, and move on.