At the start of the EOS journey, one of the first tools to use is the Organizational Checkup Questionnaire. It asks 20 questions about the current state of the company, giving you a baseline for your progress with EOS.
These questions are based on using the EOS framework, so the first time you complete the questionnaire should be in the first few months of an EOS deployment. Typically, it should not be done until after the team has started using the tools. For a new team, scores below 60% are typically as the team is learning new tools and getting the EOS framework in place. A strong self-implemented EOS framework can achieve above 70%, and a well-run EOS program should be above 80%. As with any evaluation, honesty is important.
Interpreting the Results
While knowing the overall score is important, it’s interesting to also highlight the highest and lowest scoring questions. The lowest scoring areas are the obvious areas for improvement and are often escalated to the Issues list for processing.
At ROC Advisors, we take this tool a step further. In addition to the highest and lowest scoring questions, we also look at the variability of each question. The logic behind that analysis is fairly simple – there is a big difference between the team scoring a question as 3/3/3/3 and as 1/1/5/5. Both results have the same average, but one set of results indicates a clear disconnect in the team. While this is an extreme example, highlighting where the team has differing opinions can start insightful discussions and promote greater clarity. In some cases, the disconnect may just to be due to the interpretation of the question, or one team member lacking key information.
Completing the organizational checkup every 6 months can help reinforce the EOS best practices, highlight the progress of the team, and uncover lingering issues.