We are struggling to narrow our leadership team scorecard down to the recommended 5 to 15 numbers, and our list currently has over thirty metrics. What is the systematic process we should use to trim the fat and identify the absolute critical few numbers we must track weekly?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Having thirty numbers on your scorecard means you do not actually know what drives your business. When everything is important, nothing is. To trim the fat and get down to five to fifteen numbers, you must ruthlessly filter your metrics based on leading indicator impact and seat accountability.

First, review your current scorecard and remove any lagging indicators that you cannot influence week-to-week, such as monthly profit margins or quarterly tax projections. These belong on your quarterly financials, not your weekly scorecard.

Second, map every remaining metric to a specific seat on your Accountability Chart. If a metric does not have a single owner who is directly responsible for it, delete it or reassign it.

Third, apply the desert island test. If you were stranded on a desert island with only a weekly list of ten numbers to tell you how your business is running, which numbers would you absolutely need to see to know if the company is healthy?

Keep only the leading indicators that represent the pulse of your major departments: marketing, sales, operations, and finance. Everything else should be cascaded down to departmental scorecards, leaving your leadership team with a clean, high-level view of the entire organization.