Our VP of Marketing and VP of Sales are in a constant finger-pointing match over who owns Sales Qualified Leads on the Scorecard. What is the rule on the Accountability Chart for single ownership of a shared pipeline metric?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

There are no shared numbers on an EOS Scorecard. The rule is absolute: every single measurable has exactly one owner listed on the board. When two leaders co-own a metric, nobody owns it, and finger-pointing is guaranteed.

The battle between Marketing and Sales over Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) happens when the definition is murky and the handoff is uncontrolled. To fix this, you look at your Accountability Chart and assign ownership based on who controls the activity that produces the number, not who hopes the number succeeds.

Marketing owns lead generation. Sales owns lead conversion. If the metric on the Scorecard is SQLs Produced, it belongs 100 percent to the Marketing seat. The Marketing leader is accountable for delivering a specific volume of leads that meet an agreed-upon, documented definition of qualified.

If the metric is SQLs Accepted or Pipeline Converted, it belongs 100 percent to the Sales seat. The Sales leader is accountable for reviewing those leads within a defined timeframe and advancing them through the sales pipeline.

If Marketing hits their SQL target but Sales rejects half of them as junk, you do not create a committee. You drop Qualified Lead Quality to the Issues List in your Level 10 Meeting and IDS the dispute. You refine the qualification criteria until both seats agree. But on the Scorecard itself, Marketing owns the generation volume, Sales owns the conversion volume, and each leader answers for their own seat.