Why EOS Fails Without the Right Tools
The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is a go-to framework for leadership teams that want clarity, accountability, and traction. Its concepts: Rocks, Level 10 Meetings, Scorecards, are simple yet powerful.
But here’s the catch: EOS works only if it’s lived every day. Too often, leadership teams align around Rocks during quarterly planning, only to see momentum fizzle because the EOS framework isn’t a part of the team’s day-to-day processes. Rock planning happens in a pdf sheet, milestones are entered into a project management tool, and Scorecards live in a disconnected reporting system that relies on manual data entry.
That’s where the right technology makes the difference. When EOS Rock SMARTing, execution, and reporting all live in the same tool your team already uses for projects and tasks, your systems finally support Traction. EOS stops being a theoretical framework and starts becoming the way your business runs.
Why Asana Is the Perfect Home for EOS
Asana is already built for clarity and accountability. It connects strategy (company V/TO and Rock SMARTing) to execution (rock milestones and tasks), while giving leadership a real-time line of sight into entire progress. This makes it an ideal home for running EOS.
With Asana as your EOS Rock process implementation vehicle:
- Rocks become Asana Goals with clear owners, due dates, and automated progress tracking.
- Rock planning or SMARTing happens right in the Asana Rock Goal keeping the Done/Not Done measurable criteria and the Specific goal of the rock top of mind all quarter
- Rock milestones and to-dos live in Asana projects linked to each Rock Goal, creating a seamless integration of project management and data.
This setup transforms EOS from a quarterly exercise into a living system inside Asana. Leadership has instant visibility, team members know what they own, and Rocks move forward week by week.
How to Set Up EOS Rocks in Asana (Step by Step)
At BlinkMetrics, we’ve developed a clear SOP for mapping our EOS Rocks into Asana. Here’s a streamlined version of the process our team uses every quarter:
1. Create a Rock Project
Start by creating a new Asana Project for each Rock (we use a Rock Project template with Milestone 1 SMARTing tasks pre-added to save time).
Use a consistent naming convention like:
🪨 Rock Name (Owner Name 2025 Q3 Rock)
This makes Rock projects easily searchable and instantly recognizable across your workspace.
Each Rock project should:
- Have the Rock owner set as the Project Owner.
- Have the Rock owner’s leader and anyone else who may need to edit the rock added to the Asana project as an editor.
- Have a due date of the end of the quarter
2. Build in Automations
Use Asana rules to reduce friction and help with organization:
- Custom Field Tagging Rule: when a task is added, you can automatically tag it with the correct product/department/other custom field value you use for tracking in Asana.
- Cross-Project Sync Rule: we automatically add Rock project tasks into the right functional team board as well (e.g., Marketing, Development, Operations, Sales, Customer Success).
These automations ensure Rock work is visible where execution happens, not siloed in its own project.
3. Assign Milestone 1 SMARTing tasks
We add a Milestone 1 and tasks to our Rock Project Template. Individual Rock projects are created using the template, and due dates assigned.
For Milestone 1, our team members:
- Fill out SMART sheet: a SMART sheet template is included in the description of the Asana goal for the rock. Team members document their SMART plan on that sheet.
- Create Milestones and tasks to meet the Measurable Goal: after identifying the Measurables for their rock, team members create the necessary milestones and tasks in their connected Asana project, set due dates, and confirm the plan is realistic
- Submit planning for review: Team members add an Asana approval task for their team leader to review the Rock SMARTing plan. Everyone has clarity and agrees on Rock scope and planning before Milestone 1 closes
Pre-assigning a Milestone 1 with its tasks and due dates helps team members prioritize Rock SMARTing, confirm leadership alignment, and get their rock off to a strong start in the first week of the quarter.
In Asana Goals:
4. Set Up Company and Individual Goals
- Create Company Goals (Rocks) for each product or business unit.
- If you have Team Rocks, nest those under the correct Company Goal.
- Nest Individual Rock Goals beneath the right parent goal (Team or Company).
Link each Rock Goal to its corresponding Rock Project so that milestones automatically update goal progress. This means Rock progress is visible in real-time; no more waiting for manual updates.
5. Assign Goal Ownership and Visibility
- Set the Rock owner as the Goal owner.
- Add leadership (e.g., CEO, Ops, Product Heads) as editors.
- Keep privacy set to the company so Rocks are transparent and visible.
6. Capture the “SMART” Details
Each Rock Goal should include:
- A SMART outline (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
- Dependencies and potential obstacles.
- Potential solutions to obstacles and a list of team members/external resources that the rock owner may use to support the project.
This ensures Rocks aren’t just aspirational; they’re execution-ready.
7. QA
Before finalizing your Asana Rock setup, QA your Rocks to ensure:
- Every Rock has a Project and Goal.
- Projects are linked to Goals.
- Goal progress reporting is based on milestone completion in the connected Rock project.
- All members have the right permissions.
Bonus: Automating EOS Scorecards and Rock Tracking with BlinkMetrics
In EOS, the Scorecard is meant to give leadership a pulse on the business with a quick glance at a handful of key metrics.
In practice, though, for many teams, scorecards can feel like a burden. They are often updated manually — which means they’re inconsistent, delayed, or forgotten altogether. Unless someone remembers to log updates before the weekly Level 10 meeting, the conversation starts with “Where are we at on this?” instead of diving straight into solving issues.
That’s where BlinkMetrics comes in.
BlinkMetrics connects to Asana and other business tools to automate the entire EOS reporting layer:
- Automated Scorecards: Key metrics are pulled directly from your systems and displayed in simple, EOS-friendly dashboards; no spreadsheets required.
- Real-Time Rock Progress: Because Rocks in Asana are already linked to projects and milestones, BlinkMetrics automatically surfaces their progress in the same dashboard. Leadership can see, at a glance, which Rocks are on track and which need attention.
- Seamless Level 10 Prep: Instead of wasting meeting time gathering updates, your team walks into Level 10s with scorecards and Rock statuses ready to go. The conversation shifts from “what’s the status?” to “what do we need to get back on track?”
By combining Asana for execution and BlinkMetrics for automated reporting, EOS becomes frictionless. Your team can focus on accountability, problem-solving, and progress without the drag of manual updates.
Final Thoughts: Turning EOS from Framework to Habit
EOS gives leadership teams the structure to gain traction. Asana brings EOS into the daily flow of work. BlinkMetrics closes the loop with automated reporting that keeps Rocks and Scorecards visible without added effort.
The result? A business operating system that doesn’t just live in planning sessions — it runs every day, in real time.
