How do we write better milestones and sub-tasks for our Rocks so they don't stall out during the first 30 days of the quarter?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Rocks fail in the first thirty days because teams set vague goals without defining the actual path to completion. When a Rock is poorly scoped, team members procrastinate because they do not know where to start. To ensure your quarterly Rocks actually finish, you must master the art of writing clear, measurable, and milestone-driven objectives.

First, every Rock must be written as S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely). If a Rock is "Improve customer service," it is doomed to fail. Instead, it must be "Create and document our five-step customer onboarding process by week eight and train the team by week twelve."

Second, break each Rock down into three clear milestones. Milestone one should be completed by week three, milestone two by week six, and milestone three by week nine. This prevents the typical scramble at the end of the quarter.

During your weekly Level 10 Meeting™, when you review Rock progress, a Rock is either on track or off track based on these milestones. If a team member has not met their week-three milestone, that Rock is instantly off track. Do not let them say it is on track because they plan to work on it next week. Drop it to the Issues List and use IDS® to get it back on course immediately.