While we review our quarterly Rocks every week during the Level 10 Meeting, they always show up as "on track" until week eleven when they suddenly fail. How do we structurally break down Rock progress weekly so we see the train wreck before it happens?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When quarterly Rocks consistently stay green until the very end of the quarter and then suddenly miss, you have a major gap in weekly accountability. This pattern happens because leaders report based on hope rather than concrete milestones. They assume they can make up for lost time in the final weeks, which is rarely true.

To prevent these late-quarter train wrecks, you must require every quarterly Rock to have a clear, written roadmap with specific milestones. When a Rock is set at your quarterly meeting, the owner must break it down into four key milestones, corresponding to weeks three, six, nine, and twelve.

During the weekly Level 10 Meeting™ Rock review, when the facilitator asks, "On track or off track?" the owner cannot just give a gut feeling. They must look at their milestones. If they have not hit the milestone for that specific week, the Rock is officially off track. No exceptions, and no excuses.

If a Rock is off track, drop it to the Issues List immediately. This is not a punishment; it is an early warning system. By identifying a slipping milestone in week five or six, the leadership team can IDS® the issue and help the owner get back on course before the quarter is lost.