12-Week Execution Sprint · Digital Simplicity
Most owners know exactly what they want to improve. The day-to-day work eats the time to do it. In twelve weeks, I help your team pick one goal, track the few actions that move it, and hold a 20-minute weekly meeting that keeps it from fading by March.
Sound Familiar?
01 · The Goal
January starts with a clear target. By spring, phones, clients, and fires have taken every hour, and nobody can say whether you're ahead or behind.
02 · The Tool
You paid for new software. It went live on time. Six months later the team works the old way around it, and the number it was supposed to move hasn't moved.
03 · The Owner
You carry the goal in your head. Your team is busy and well-meaning, but they can't see the score, so they can't play to win.
How It Works
No new software and no thick binder. Four habits your team runs itself, with me coaching until they stick.
Step 1 · Focus
Not five. One result that would change the business, written with a finish line: from where you are, to where you want to be, by a date.
For example: cut appointment no-shows from 14% to 7% by June 30.
Step 2 · Leverage
The goal is a result you can't directly control. So we find the one or two weekly actions that predict it, and the team owns those.
For example: 90% of tomorrow's appointments confirmed by 3 PM today.
Step 3 · Engagement
A simple scoreboard the team designs and updates, on a whiteboard where they work. Anyone can tell in five seconds if we're winning.
For example: one line for the goal, two bars for this week's actions.
Step 4 · Accountability
Same day, same time, never cancelled. Report last week's commitments, look at the score, and each person commits to one or two actions for next week.
For example: the first 20 minutes of the Tuesday staff huddle.
The sprint is built on the principles of The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling (FranklinCovey). Digital Simplicity is independent and is not affiliated with, certified by, or endorsed by FranklinCovey.
The 12 Weeks
The goal is a team that runs this without me. Expect the first few weeks to look flat. That's normal. The early signal is the weekly actions turning green, before the goal itself moves.
Weeks 1 to 2
We confirm the goal, pull the starting number from your own systems, choose the weekly measures, and design the scoreboard with your team leader.
Your time: two 60-minute working sessions.
Weeks 3 to 4
Team kickoff, scoreboard on the wall, and the first weekly sessions. I attend every one and coach the leader who runs it.
Your time: a 45-minute kickoff, then 20 minutes a week.
Weeks 5 to 8
I attend every other week. We tighten commitments, fix measures that aren't predicting the goal, and celebrate the first wins.
Your time: 20 minutes a week.
Weeks 9 to 12
Your team runs it. I review the numbers with you, hand over the tracker and session kit, and help you pick what comes next.
Your time: 20 minutes a week, plus a closeout review.
What You Get
The goal, the weekly measures, who owns what, and the calendar, written in plain language for you and your team.
A whiteboard layout for the team, plus a simple spreadsheet that keeps the history and does the math.
A one-page agenda, a script for the leader who runs it, and a commitment log. Twenty minutes, no wasted time.
I prep your leader before each session I attend and tell you plainly what the numbers are saying.
A 0 to 100 score each week showing whether the system is running, so you know it's working before the goal has time to move.
By week twelve, your team owns the rhythm and the tools. No retainer required to keep it going.
Is It a Fit?
This works when a few things are true. When they aren't, I'll say so on our first call and suggest what to do instead.
Why Work With Me
I've spent nearly 30 years as a CIO, CTO, and EVP, where the job was never the plan. It was getting a large organization to actually deliver on it. I bring the same discipline to owner-led businesses, sized down and in plain language.
Questions
Twenty minutes a week for the session, plus the one or two actions each person commits to, which are real work they would want done anyway. The leader spends about ten more minutes preparing.
No. Most teams use a whiteboard and a simple spreadsheet. If you already have a system that tracks the number, we use it.
It's built on the principles of The 4 Disciplines of Execution by McChesney, Covey, and Huling, adapted for smaller teams. Digital Simplicity is independent and is not affiliated with, certified by, or endorsed by FranklinCovey.
Many goals take longer than twelve weeks to fully land, and that's by design. The sprint installs the rhythm and gets the weekly actions consistently green. Your team keeps running it after I step back.
A fixed fee, quoted after a 30-minute call once we know the size of your team and the goal. No open-ended retainer.
Yes. For larger teams I run it across several teams at once, or build it into a fractional leadership engagement so the technology roadmap turns into measurable results.
Not sure yet?
Eighteen yes-or-no questions. You'll see your execution score and whether the sprint fits, right on the page.