How Strategic Roadmaps can produce traction for you

I have long been a fan of the Entrepreneurial Operating System®  (EOS) framework for helping businesses achieve the outcomes they require.

We run 8 Penny Labs using the EOS framework and prior to 8PL, I held the integrator role for a SaaS software company.

When we adopted EOS at the SaaS company, we were able to meet our commitments with more consistency than during the prior 10 years. Naturally, I chose to adopt EOS when I founded 8 Penny Labs. Suffice to say, I am a believer.

It just so happens - that most of my customers are also running their businesses on EOS. (To be clear, it isn’t a prerequisite for us to work with you.) I didn’t plan it that way, it just happened that way…and I’m glad it did.

Why you ask?

EOS helps companies focus on what matters to their business.  The kind of focus and commitment that is required if your intentions include building custom software applications.  The EOS concept that helps produce that focus:  Rocks. 

In the world of EOS, Rocks aren’t just big goals—they’re the priority commitments determining whether the business is making progress. Every quarter, leadership teams gather to define 3-7 Rocks each, representing the most critical outcomes they must accomplish.

But as any EOS implementer, integrator, or visionary will tell you, defining Rocks is one thing—completing 80% of them on time is another.  So what happens when your teams are not consistently hitting 80% of their quarterly rocks? 

IDS’ing happens.

Anyone on the leadership team can IDENTIFY an 'Issue” that needs to be do be DISCUSSED and SOLVED. (EOS calls this part of the weekly meeting IDSing). 

The idea is to identify the issues that are holding the team back so that they can produce and agree on a path to solve the issue and make progress. When a specific issue continues to be identified in subsequent meetings, a new ISSUE is usually identified.  

Let’s be honest: missed Rocks mean missed opportunities. Whether trying to automate an internal workflow, build a digital customer experience, or streamline operations, failure to follow through delays growth, impacts morale, and keeps you stuck in the same old problems quarter after quarter.

EOS provides a robust framework, but execution still depends on capability—and that’s where many businesses hit a wall.

Our customers have highly competitive leadership teams that are focused on growing their businesses. These leadership teams have innovative ideas (Rocks) that they can’t make progress on using off-the-shelf software.  So, they identify the need to build custom software to solve the issue.

The next ISSUE: They don’t know how to build custom software!

And that, is how and why many of my customers began working with 8 Penny Labs.  We help them make progress on their Rock by solving their new issue and developing the custom software solution they require.

Most mid-sized companies don’t struggle because they don’t know what outcome they are after producing — they struggle because they don’t have a clear, shared plan for getting it done. Even when the plan is clear, the tools and skills required to execute it might not yet exist on their team.

That is where 8 Penny Labs shines.

Next week we will take a look at just how 8 Penny Labs helps companies build the skills they need to innovate and produce the software they require be competitive and gain traction.

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