We've run EOS at Cancer Doctor for the last 2 years and it's worked pretty well.

The Level 10 Meetings specifically have brought the most value.

However, one of the limitations (or rather challenges) of EOS is selecting appropriately sized Rocks for the quarter.

We've let the pendulum swing the spectrum from too enormous to consider for 90 days and achievable in two weeks.

Enter Agile's User Stories.

More specifically, Jeff Patton's Rock Breaking technique in User Story Mapping.

Image you have a Big Goal you want to achieve.

Instead of just pressing start and working towards the Big Goal, you break the Big Goal down into smaller, faster goals.

You then focus on a single smaller goal at a time and increase velocity to accomplish that goal as efficiently as possible.

Here's a quote that puts this into perspective:

Deliver half a baked cake, not a half-baked cake.

The goal here (no pun intended) is to break the Big Goal down into it's smallest most valuable and deliverable pieces so that, as you accomplish each sub-deliverable of the Big Goal, you are creating value at the completion of each part instead of only at the completion of the Big Goal.

Jeff uses an incredible Cake example for this idea.

The way you approach a big software cake is to break it down into lots of little cupcakes. Each one is deliverable, and each one still has a similar recipe, with a little sugar, a little flour, an egg or two, and so on.

This removes the limitations of setting too big of a goal, you just set a goal.

Who cares if it takes 3 quarters, you're making meaningful progress with valuable deliverables every step of the way.

Instead of getting to the end of a quarter with a half-baked cake that is worthless.

Really interesting stuff. Can't wait to build this out in Notion.