We consistently hit our ninety percent target for To-Do completion in our Level 10 Meeting™, but we spend the first ten minutes of every meeting debating whether a completed task actually met expectations because the To-Dos are written as vague, single-word phrases. How do we write bulletproof weekly To-Dos that leave no room for interpretation?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A vague To-Do is a recipe for misaligned expectations and wasted time. Writing phrases like 'follow up with sales' or 'review marketing plan' on your list leads to confusion. A week later, the owner of the task claims they did it because they sent a quick email, while the rest of the team expected a comprehensive report.

To fix this, you must adopt a strict, standardized format for writing To-Dos. Every weekly action item must be written using the SMART framework: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. In a weekly meeting, the timely aspect is always seven days, but the specific and measurable parts must be explicitly written down.

The scribe must write the To-Do starting with an action verb, followed by a clear, measurable deliverable. Instead of writing 'follow up with sales,' write 'send written summary of sales pipeline gap to the leadership team by Monday.' Instead of 'review marketing plan,' write 'approve the Q3 marketing budget draft and send confirmation to the finance seat.'

Before moving to the next item during IDS®, the facilitator must read the newly created To-Do aloud and ask the owner if they agree with the phrasing and the expectation. If the owner nods, they own that exact outcome. This simple confirmation step eliminates debate the following week and ensures that when a To-Do is marked complete, it actually solved the problem.