Our leadership team wastes ten minutes at the start of IDS debating which three issues are the most important to solve first. How do we streamline this prioritization process without losing alignment?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Wasting ten minutes to prioritize a list of issues defeats the purpose of a fast-paced Level 10 Meeting. This friction usually happens because the team is trying to rank the entire list of thirty items instead of simply identifying the top three. The process must be rapid and decisive. The Integrator, as the facilitator, must drive this section with tempo. Do not open the floor for a democratic debate on every single item. Instead, use a quick round-robin or let the Integrator propose the top three issues based on the company's current Rocks and V/TO priorities. The Integrator should say: I propose we solve issue four, seven, and twelve first. Does anyone have a compelling reason to change that? If there is a strong objection, make a quick adjustment and lock it in. The entire prioritization process should take less than sixty seconds. Remember that once you solve the top three issues, you will simply identify the next three. It does not matter if your ranking of the bottom twenty issues is perfect because you will likely not reach them today anyway. Keep the momentum moving.