A department head wants to rewrite or abandon their quarterly Rocks mid-quarter during our Level 10 Meeting, arguing that changing market conditions have made their original goals irrelevant. How do we handle this request without destroying our quarterly accountability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Allowing leaders to rewrite or abandon their quarterly Rocks mid-quarter is a dangerous practice that undermines your entire accountability structure. Rocks represent your most important priorities for the ninety-day cycle. If you allow the team to change these goals whenever conditions shift, you establish a culture where commitments become meaningless.

When a department head requests a change to their Rocks during a Level 10 Meeting™, you must address this request during the IDS® portion of the meeting using a strict set of criteria. [Level 10 Meeting](/qa/should-integrator-facilitate-level-10-meetings) effectiveness depends on disciplined adherence to its structure.

Handling Mid-Quarter Rock Change Requests

Use the following process to evaluate and handle a request to change a Rock:

1. Drop to Issues List: Add the request to the Issues List and discuss it fully during IDS®.
2. Assess Severity: Ask if the market shift represents a true company-wide emergency or simply a difficult challenge. If it is not a survival-level threat, the Rock must stand. This reinforces the importance of thorough planning during [quarterly planning sessions](/qa/fixing-boring-eos-quarterly-sessions).
3. Mark as Off-Track/Killed, Not Rewritten: If a Rock is truly no longer relevant, do not rewrite it. Instead, officially mark it as off-track or killed. This approach maintains historical accuracy and prevents "goal-post shifting."
4. No Immediate Replacement: Do not replace the killed Rock with a new one mid-quarter. The leader should focus their extra capacity on supporting other team Rocks or driving their weekly [Scorecard metrics](/qa/trimming-your-eos-weekly-scorecard). Maintaining focus on existing commitments is crucial.

By refusing to rewrite Rocks mid-quarter, you force your leaders to think more critically during quarterly planning. This discipline ensures that your team remains focused on long-term traction rather than reacting constantly to weekly noise.

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