During our weekly Level 10 Meeting™ Rock review, our department heads consistently report that their Rocks are on track, but when we get to the quarterly planning session, half of these Rocks are incomplete. How do we audit on track status updates during the weekly pulse to prevent end-of-quarter surprises?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is incredibly frustrating when a leader reports that their quarterly Rock is on track week after week, only to admit during the quarterly planning session that they did not finish it. This ghost Rock phenomenon occurs when there is a lack of objective milestones and a fear of bringing bad news to the weekly Level 10 Meeting.

To eliminate these end of quarter surprises, you must change how your team defines and reports on Rocks during the weekly pulse. First, every Rock must be broken down into clear, weekly milestones. A Rock is not on track just because the owner feels good about it; it is on track because they have completed the specific milestones required for that week.

During the Rock review, if a leader says their Rock is on track, the Integrator must occasionally ask for verification. Ask, what milestone did you complete this week to keep it on track?

If a milestone is missed, the Rock is officially off track. The leader must say off track and drop it to the Issues List so the team can help them get it back on schedule during IDS.

Normalizing the off track status as a request for help rather than a failure will encourage honest reporting. This ensures you solve real roadblocks in week four instead of discovering them in week twelve.