Weekly Execution Score and Lead/Lag Indicators
Scope: How The 12 Week Year measures execution: the weekly percentage-of-tactics score, its 85 percent benchmark, and the use of the score to diagnose plan versus execution failures. The general lead/lag logic is covered in Wildly Important Goals; this article covers the 12 Week Year’s specific variant.
Why Measure
Moran and Lennington treat measurement as the reality check that effort and intention cannot provide:
“The data is not concerned with effort or intentions; it simply focuses on outcomes.”
“the sooner we confront reality, the sooner we can shift our actions toward producing more desirable results.”
They also frame measurement as emotionally constructive: “Measurement builds self-esteem and confidence because it documents progress and achievement.” This echoes the scoreboard argument in The Game of Work.
Lag and Lead
“Lag indicators—things like income, sales, commission dollars, pounds lost, body fat percentage, overall cholesterol levels—represent the end results that you are striving to achieve.”
“Lead indicators are the things that happen early in the execution process. They are the things that drive the lags. Most people are pretty good at tracking the lag indicators, but the opportunity for growth is usually the greatest with the lead indicators.”
The distinctive move is to make the lead indicator the execution of the plan itself: “the most effective lead indicator you can have is a measure of your weekly execution.” This differs from 4DX, which defines lead measures as the few highest-leverage behaviors; here the lead measure is the completion rate of whatever tactics the plan specifies.
The Weekly Score
“With the weekly scorecard you measure execution, not results. You score yourself on the percentage of activities you complete each week.”
Procedure: take the tactics due this week in the weekly plan, count those completed, divide. Results are tracked separately, and the two can diverge:
“I may have lost two pounds this week but still only scored 75 percent. Because the results are lagging, I want to pay close attention to both measures”
The benchmark: “if you successfully complete 85 percent of the activities in your weekly plan, then you will most likely achieve your objectives.” Tip 3 adds a counterweight: “a weekly score of less than 85 percent isn’t necessarily bad.”
Diagnosing plan versus execution
“More than 60 percent of the time the breakdown occurs in the execution process, but usually people assume the plan is at fault and change it.”
Decision logic:
| Execution score | Results | Diagnosis | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | On track | Working | Keep going |
| High | Off track | Plan content is wrong | Adjust tactics (“it’s time to go back and adjust the plan”) |
| Low | Off track | Execution failure | Fix execution before touching the plan |
| Low | On track | Lag is delayed or goal too soft | Do not trust it; watch next week |
The last row is an inference from the book’s logic (“unless I execute better next week, my weight loss will stall out”), not a stated rule.
“you don’t know if the plan doesn’t work if you’re not working the plan.”
Productive Tension
The authors define it as “the uncomfortable feeling you get when you’re not doing the things you know you need to do” and recommend using it as a catalyst: “If you decide that quitting is not an option, then the discomfort of productive tension will eventually compel you to take action on your tactics.”
Measurement Is Not Accountability
For managers, the book warns against treating the score as a punishment trigger: “Too many managers mistakenly think about measurement as accountability.” Ownership shows when “associates measure and track their own metrics.” A score under 60 percent in a week is “an indication that they may need some help”, a coaching trigger rather than a sanction. This is the same stance as Fix It.
Pitfalls the Authors List
- Thinking measurement is complicated or unimportant.
- Not scheduling a weekly block to assess progress.
- Abandoning the system after two bad weeks: “Have the courage to assess each week and don’t back down, even when you have a disappointing week.”
Tension with 4DX on what to measure
4DX (WIGs) argues for one or two highly predictive, influenceable lead measures; the 12 Week Year scores plan completion percentage, which assumes the plan’s tactics are the right ones. The book’s own plan-versus-execution diagnosis is the safeguard, but a plan full of low-leverage tactics can score 100 percent and still fail.