Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)
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npx agentalley add traction-eosWho is stuck, and on what
You're working flat out but the same problems keep coming back and the team isn't pulling in the same direction. You know something's off but can't put your finger on what to fix first.
What it gives you
A one-page scorecard rating six parts of your business, with your current score, the areas that are failing, and one concrete next action for each.
When NOT to use it
It won't manage your books, run your meetings, or make the tough people decisions for you.
The whole source
Frontmatter — 4 properties
| name | traction-eos |
|---|---|
| description | Implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to align vision and execution across a company. Use when the user mentions "EOS", "Entrepreneurial Operating System", "V/TO", "quarterly rocks", "Level 10 meetings", "accountability chart", "IDS process", "my company feels chaotic", "we keep having the same problems", or "get the whole team aligned". Also trigger when a growing company needs meeting structure, goal-setting frameworks, or a systematic way to solve recurring organizational issues. Covers the six EOS components: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, Traction. For team motivation design, see drive-motivation. For lean experimentation, see lean-startup. |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | author: wondelai version: "1.4.1 |
| 1 | --- |
| 2 | name: traction-eos |
| 3 | description: 'Implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to align vision and execution across a company. Use when the user mentions "EOS", "Entrepreneurial Operating System", "V/TO", "quarterly rocks", "Level 10 meetings", "accountability chart", "IDS process", "my company feels chaotic", "we keep having the same problems", or "get the whole team aligned". Also trigger when a growing company needs meeting structure, goal-setting frameworks, or a systematic way to solve recurring organizational issues. Covers the six EOS components: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, Traction. For team motivation design, see drive-motivation. For lean experimentation, see lean-startup.'B1 — Line is 691 characters — unreadable by eye |
| 4 | license: MIT |
| 5 | metadata: |
| 6 | author: wondelai |
| 7 | version: "1.4.1" |
| 8 | ---A5 — No allowed-tools declared — no way to tell what this skill may touch |
| 9 | |
| 10 | # Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) |
| 11 | |
| 12 | A complete system for running a business with six key components. Designed for entrepreneurial companies ($2M-$50M revenue, 10-250 employees) that want to align vision and execution. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | ## Core Principle |
| 15 | |
| 16 | **Most businesses suffer from the same core issues: people, vision, traction.** Great vision without traction is hallucination; traction without vision is aimless. EOS connects the two through a practical weekly operating rhythm that strengthens the Six Key Components of any organization. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | ## Scoring |
| 19 | |
| 20 | **Goal: 10/10.** Score the business by how many of the six Quick Diagnostic rows pass (each component is either in place or not), mapped to the bands below. Bands: **9-10** = all six diagnostic rows pass and rocks consistently hit 80%+ completion; **7-8** = five rows pass, one component weak; **5-6** = three to four rows pass; **3-4** = one to two rows pass; **<=2** = no operating rhythm in place. Always state the current score, the failing diagnostic rows, and the next action for each. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | ## The Six Key Components |
| 23 | |
| 24 | ``` |
| 25 | Vision → People → Data → Issues → Process → Traction |
| 26 | ``` |
| 27 | |
| 28 | ### 1. Vision Component |
| 29 | |
| 30 | **Question:** Does everyone in the organization know where you're going and how you plan to get there? |
| 31 | |
| 32 | **Tool: Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO)** — answers eight questions on two pages: |
| 33 | |
| 34 | | Question | What It Defines | Example | |
| 35 | |----------|----------------|---------| |
| 36 | | **Core Values** | 3-7 non-negotiable beliefs | "Own it", "Do the right thing", "Grow or die" | |
| 37 | | **Core Focus** | Purpose/cause/passion + niche | "Simplify small business" + "Cloud accounting" | |
| 38 | | **10-Year Target** | Big, hairy, audacious goal | "$100M revenue" or "10,000 customers" | |
| 39 | | **Marketing Strategy** | Target market, 3 uniques, proven process, guarantee | Who you serve, why you're different | |
| 40 | | **3-Year Picture** | What the company looks like in 3 years | Revenue, profit, headcount, key metrics | |
| 41 | | **1-Year Plan** | Revenue, profit, measurables, goals | Specific targets for this year | |
| 42 | | **Quarterly Rocks** | 3-7 priorities for this quarter | Most important things in 90 days | |
| 43 | | **Issues List** | All unresolved obstacles | Problems, ideas, opportunities | |
| 44 | |
| 45 | **Process:** Leadership completes the V/TO together (2-day off-site), shares it with the entire organization, reviews quarterly, updates annually. |
| 46 | |
| 47 | **Key insight:** If the leadership team can't agree on the V/TO, you have a bigger problem — alignment comes first. |
| 48 | |
| 49 | See [references/vto.md](references/vto.md) when filling in the V/TO — the eight-question template and the off-site exercise sequence. |
| 50 | |
| 51 | ### 2. People Component |
| 52 | |
| 53 | **Question:** Do you have the right people in the right seats? |
| 54 | |
| 55 | **Tool: Accountability Chart** — not an org chart; it defines the structure and who owns what. |
| 56 | |
| 57 | ``` |
| 58 | Visionary ←→ Integrator |
| 59 | ├── Sales/Marketing |
| 60 | ├── Operations |
| 61 | └── Finance |
| 62 | ``` |
| 63 | |
| 64 | - **Visionary:** Big ideas, culture, key relationships, creative problem solving |
| 65 | - **Integrator:** Runs the business day-to-day, manages the team, executes the vision |
| 66 | - **Rule:** One person per seat — shared accountability is no accountability |
| 67 | |
| 68 | **Tool: People Analyzer** — evaluate every person on two dimensions: |
| 69 | |
| 70 | 1. **Right Person (core values fit):** Rate +, +/-, or - on each core value. Must be "+" on all; one "+/-" is a conversation; any "-" means wrong person. |
| 71 | 2. **Right Seat (GWC):** **G**ets it (understands the role), **W**ants it (genuinely), **C**apacity (mental, physical, emotional). Must be "yes" on all three. |
| 72 | |
| 73 | **People decisions:** |
| 74 | - Right person, right seat → keep and invest in |
| 75 | - Right person, wrong seat → move to the right seat |
| 76 | - Wrong person, right seat → coach or exit (hardest call) |
| 77 | - Wrong person, wrong seat → exit immediately |
| 78 | |
| 79 | See [references/people.md](references/people.md) when building the accountability chart or running People Analyzer — templates plus GWC scoring guidance. |
| 80 | |
| 81 | ### 3. Data Component |
| 82 | |
| 83 | **Question:** Are you managing based on objective data, or subjective opinions? |
| 84 | |
| 85 | **Tool: Scorecard** — a weekly report card of 5-15 numbers that tell you how the business is doing. Weekly data spots problems 2-4 weeks earlier than monthly and replaces gut-feel management with accountability. |
| 86 | |
| 87 | **Scorecard rules:** |
| 88 | - Activity-based metrics (leading indicators), not results (lagging) |
| 89 | - Weekly numbers — monthly is too slow to react |
| 90 | - Every number has an owner and a goal |
| 91 | - Red/green: on track or off track |
| 92 | |
| 93 | **Example:** |
| 94 | |
| 95 | | Metric | Owner | Goal | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | |
| 96 | |--------|-------|------|----|----|----|----| |
| 97 | | Revenue | Sales Lead | $50K/wk | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | |
| 98 | | New Leads | Marketing | 100/wk | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| 99 | | Cash Balance | Finance | >$200K | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| 100 | |
| 101 | **Metric selection:** If you had to go on vacation for 4 weeks, what 5-15 numbers would tell you how the business is doing? |
| 102 | |
| 103 | See [references/data.md](references/data.md) when building the scorecard — templates plus how to pick leading-indicator metrics. |
| 104 | |
| 105 | ### 4. Issues Component |
| 106 | |
| 107 | **Question:** Are you identifying, discussing, and solving issues quickly? |
| 108 | |
| 109 | **Tool: Issues Solving Track (IDS)** — **I**dentify → **D**iscuss → **S**olve: |
| 110 | |
| 111 | 1. **Identify:** Ask "Why?" until you reach the root cause (not the symptom); state the issue in one sentence |
| 112 | 2. **Discuss:** Everyone gets input (not equal time); stop tangents; one issue at a time, time-boxed 5-15 minutes |
| 113 | 3. **Solve:** Make the decision, assign action items (who + what + when), move on |
| 114 | |
| 115 | **Three types of issues:** |
| 116 | |
| 117 | | Type | Examples | Action | |
| 118 | |------|----------|--------| |
| 119 | | **Problems** | Customer churn, team conflict, outage | IDS → solve | |
| 120 | | **Ideas** | New feature, process change, opportunity | IDS → decide (yes/no/later) | |
| 121 | | **Obstacles** | Blocked rock, resource constraint | IDS → remove or escalate | |
| 122 | |
| 123 | **Issues list rules:** Anyone can add issues; prioritize most important first; unsolved issues carry forward — not everything gets solved each meeting. |
| 124 | |
| 125 | **Common IDS failures:** discussing symptoms instead of root cause, rehashing the same issue weekly, ending without clear action items. |
| 126 | |
| 127 | See [references/issues.md](references/issues.md) when facilitating IDS — a Five Whys worked example and tangent-control tactics. |
| 128 | |
| 129 | ### 5. Process Component |
| 130 | |
| 131 | **Question:** Have you documented and consistently followed your core processes? |
| 132 | |
| 133 | **Tool: Core Process Documentation** — the 20/80 rule: document 20% of your processes to get 80% consistency. |
| 134 | |
| 135 | **Core processes to identify:** HR (hiring, onboarding, reviews), sales (lead → close), operations (delivery, fulfillment), customer service (support → resolution), finance (invoicing, collections). |
| 136 | |
| 137 | **Documentation format:** Name the process, list 5-20 major steps with just enough detail (not a 50-page manual), make it visual where possible. |
| 138 | |
| 139 | **Example: Sales Process "The Closer"** |
| 140 | 1. Qualify lead (BANT: Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) |
| 141 | 2. Discovery call (30 min, question guide) |
| 142 | 3. Demo (customized to their pain points) |
| 143 | 4. Proposal (within 24 hours) |
| 144 | 5. Follow up (3 touches in 7 days) |
| 145 | 6. Close or disqualify |
| 146 | |
| 147 | **Followed By All (FBA):** Document it, train on it, measure compliance, update quarterly. |
| 148 | |
| 149 | See [references/process.md](references/process.md) when documenting a core process — full templates and a worked HR/sales/ops example. |
| 150 | |
| 151 | ### 6. Traction Component |
| 152 | |
| 153 | **Question:** Are you executing on your vision every day? |
| 154 | |
| 155 | #### Rocks (Quarterly Priorities) |
| 156 | |
| 157 | The 3-7 most important things to accomplish in the next 90 days. Ninety days is long enough to achieve something meaningful, short enough to maintain urgency. |
| 158 | |
| 159 | **Rock-setting process:** |
| 160 | 1. Review the V/TO (vision, 3-year, 1-year) |
| 161 | 2. Brainstorm what must get done this quarter to stay on track |
| 162 | 3. Narrow to 3-7 company rocks, one owner each |
| 163 | 4. Each leadership member also sets 3-7 individual rocks |
| 164 | 5. Share with the organization and track weekly |
| 165 | |
| 166 | **SMART rocks:** Specific ("Launch new pricing page", not "improve pricing"), Measurable (clear completion criteria), Achievable in 90 days, Realistic given resources, Time-bound (due end of quarter). |
| 167 | |
| 168 | **Rock scoring:** Done = checked off (no partial credit); not done = carried forward or dropped. Target 80%+ completion. Beware rocks that are just "business as usual" — they don't move the needle. |
| 169 | |
| 170 | See [references/rocks.md](references/rocks.md) when setting quarterly rocks — the binary done-test, the nine-row mistakes table, and a mid-quarter check-in. |
| 171 | |
| 172 | #### Level 10 Meeting (Weekly Leadership Meeting) |
| 173 | |
| 174 | **The most important meeting in EOS.** Every week, same day, same time, same agenda — 90 minutes, never longer. |
| 175 | |
| 176 | | Time | Section | Purpose | |
| 177 | |------|---------|---------| |
| 178 | | 5 min | **Segue** | Good news, personal and professional | |
| 179 | | 5 min | **Scorecard** | Review weekly numbers | |
| 180 | | 5 min | **Rock Review** | On track / off track per rock | |
| 181 | | 5 min | **Headlines** | Customer/employee quick updates | |
| 182 | | 5 min | **To-Do List** | Last week's to-dos: done or not done | |
| 183 | | 60 min | **IDS** | Identify, Discuss, Solve issues | |
| 184 | | 5 min | **Conclude** | Recap to-dos, rate meeting 1-10 | |
| 185 | |
| 186 | **Rules:** |
| 187 | - Starts and ends on time — protecting the rhythm is what makes it work |
| 188 | - No phones/laptops (except the agenda) — IDS needs full attention |
| 189 | - IDS gets 60 of 90 minutes — solving issues is the point, updates are not |
| 190 | - Rate the meeting 1-10 at the end (hence "Level 10"); below 8 means discuss what to improve |
| 191 | - To-dos are 7-day action items with an owner; done = 100% complete; target 90%+ completion |
| 192 | |
| 193 | See [references/level-10.md](references/level-10.md) when running or fixing a Level 10 — facilitation script and how to interpret the meeting rating. |
| 194 | |
| 195 | ## EOS Implementation Timeline |
| 196 | |
| 197 | Typical rollout: 2 years to full implementation. |
| 198 | |
| 199 | | Phase | Timeline | Focus | |
| 200 | |-------|----------|-------| |
| 201 | | **Focus Day** | Day 1 (8 hours) | Accountability chart, rocks, scorecard, Level 10 | |
| 202 | | **Vision Building Day 1** | Month 1 | V/TO: core values, core focus, 10-year target | |
| 203 | | **Vision Building Day 2** | Month 2 | V/TO: marketing strategy, 3-year, 1-year, rocks | |
| 204 | | **Quarterly Sessions** | Every 90 days | Review rocks, set new rocks, IDS major issues | |
| 205 | | **Annual Planning** | Yearly | Full V/TO review, 1-year plan, Q1 rocks | |
| 206 | |
| 207 | **Self-implementation** (read the book, follow the tools — free, slower) vs. **EOS Implementer** (certified facilitator — faster, expensive). |
| 208 | |
| 209 | See [references/implementation.md](references/implementation.md) when planning the rollout — phase-by-phase sequencing and the self-vs-Implementer decision. For examples of how real companies sequenced it, see [references/case-studies.md](references/case-studies.md). |
| 210 | |
| 211 | ## Organizational Checkup |
| 212 | |
| 213 | Rate the company 1-5 on each statement: |
| 214 | |
| 215 | | Component | Statement | Score (1-5) | |
| 216 | |-----------|-----------|-------------| |
| 217 | | **Vision** | Leadership team agrees on where we're going and how to get there | | |
| 218 | | **People** | We have the right people in the right seats | | |
| 219 | | **Data** | We manage from a weekly scorecard of 5-15 numbers | | |
| 220 | | **Issues** | We solve issues quickly and permanently | | |
| 221 | | **Process** | Core processes are documented and followed by all | | |
| 222 | | **Traction** | We set and achieve 90-day priorities (rocks) | | |
| 223 | |
| 224 | **Scoring:** 25-30 strong (fine-tune) | 20-24 good (close gaps) | 15-19 average (significant work) | below 15 weak (consider an EOS Implementer). |
| 225 | |
| 226 | ## Common Mistakes |
| 227 | |
| 228 | | Mistake | Why It Fails | Fix | |
| 229 | |---------|-------------|------| |
| 230 | | **Skipping Level 10s** | Weekly rhythm lost, issues pile up | Protect the meeting, never cancel | |
| 231 | | **No scorecard** | Managing by gut, constant surprises | Choose 5-15 weekly numbers | |
| 232 | | **Wrong people kept** | Drags the entire team down | People Analyzer, make the tough calls | |
| 233 | | **V/TO not shared** | Team doesn't know the vision | Share with the entire company | |
| 234 | |
| 235 | For rock-specific mistakes (too many, too vague, business-as-usual, mid-quarter changes), see [references/rocks.md](references/rocks.md) — full nine-row table with fixes. |
| 236 | |
| 237 | ## Quick Diagnostic |
| 238 | |
| 239 | | Question | If No | Action | |
| 240 | |----------|-------|--------| |
| 241 | | Does leadership agree on vision? | Misalignment | Complete the V/TO together | |
| 242 | | Right people in right seats? | Performance issues | People Analyzer on all seats | |
| 243 | | Managing from data weekly? | Reactive management | Build a weekly scorecard | |
| 244 | | Issues solved permanently? | Same problems repeat | IDS in Level 10s | |
| 245 | | Core processes documented? | Inconsistency | Document the top 5 processes | |
| 246 | | 90-day priorities set and tracked? | No traction | Set quarterly rocks | |
| 247 | |
| 248 | ## Further Reading |
| 249 | |
| 250 | For the complete system: |
| 251 | |
| 252 | - [*"Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business"*](https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837?tag=wondelai00-20) by Gino Wickman |
| 253 | - [*"Get a Grip"*](https://www.amazon.com/Get-Grip-Entrepreneurial-Fable-Business/dp/1939529824?tag=wondelai00-20) by Gino Wickman & Mike Paton (EOS as a business fable) |
| 254 | - [*"Rocket Fuel"*](https://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Fuel-Essential-Combination-Business/dp/1941631150?tag=wondelai00-20) by Gino Wickman & Mark C. Winters (Visionary + Integrator relationship) |
| 255 | |
| 256 | ## About the Author |
| 257 | |
| 258 | **Gino Wickman** is the creator of EOS and founder of EOS Worldwide, a community of certified Implementers. *Traction* has sold over 2 million copies, and EOS is used by more than 250,000 companies worldwide. His work focuses on the practical tools entrepreneurial leadership teams need to get real traction. |
| 259 |
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