Executing on a Rock: Pull the Brief, Track Progress, Report Back

How to find your assigned rocks, understand what the CMO expects, track your progress, and report status without being asked.

What Rocks Are (and Aren't)#

Rocks are quarterly goals from the EOS methodology. They're not tasks - they're commitments to deliver something meaningful over 90 days. "Redesign the Acme website" is a rock. "Fix the footer link" is a task.

If you're assigned a rock, the CMO is counting on it being done by end of quarter. That means you need to know what it is, keep it updated, and flag problems early.

Find Your Rocks#

Pull all active rocks for the client:

get rocks for Acme

This returns each rock with its title, description, owner, status, and due date. Look for rocks assigned to you or your team.

Example output:

Understand What's Expected#

The rock title alone isn't enough. Check the description and any related memories for context:

search memories about website redesign for Acme

This surfaces decisions, commitments, and meeting notes that define the real scope. The rock might say "Website Redesign Phase 2" but the meeting notes clarify: "Phase 2 covers the product pages and pricing page only. Blog redesign is Phase 3."

If the rock description is vague, ask the CMO for clarification before you're three weeks in and building the wrong thing.

Update Rock Status#

As you make progress, update the rock status so the CMO sees it in their briefings:

update rock "Website Redesign Phase 2" status to on track

Rock status options:

Don't mark a rock "Done" until the deliverable is fully shipped and the CMO has seen it. "Code is written but not deployed" is not done. "Deployed and the CMO confirmed it looks good" is done.

Sprint Check-ins#

Rocks break down into sprint deliverables. If the team runs sprints, your rock work should show up as sprint items:

get current sprint for Acme

Update your sprint deliverables as you complete them:

update sprint status for "Product pages wireframe" to complete

This keeps the sprint board current and feeds into the CMO's weekly summary.

When You're Behind#

Being behind happens. What matters is flagging it early.

Don't hide it. The CMO will find out eventually - either from your status update or from the client asking where things are. Early is better.

Be specific about why. "I'm behind" is useless. "I'm behind because the client hasn't provided the product copy I need for the pages" is actionable.

Propose a path forward. Don't just flag the problem. Include what you need:

quick note: Website Redesign rock is behind schedule. Blocked on product copy from Sarah - requested March 15, still waiting. Options: (1) proceed with placeholder copy, (2) CMO follows up with Sarah, (3) adjust timeline.

The CMO can resolve a blocker in one client conversation. They can't do that if they don't know about it.

Reporting Progress Without Being Asked#

The best marketing techs never get asked "where are we on X?" because they've already logged it:

quick note: Website Redesign progress - product pages complete and deployed. Pricing page in design review. On track for June 30.

This note shows up in the CMO's next briefing. They walk into the client meeting knowing exactly where things stand. No Slack ping, no standup, no "hey quick question."

The Rock Rhythm#

Related Guides#

• Checking What Was Promised Before You Build It
• Sprint Check-in: What's Done, What's Behind, What Needs Help
• Posting Content? Log It Back So the CMO Knows What Happened