If you’re running a business without a simple weekly scorecard, you’re basically driving by feel.
Most owners “know” what’s happening because they’re busy. That’s not the same as being informed.
A one-page scorecard fixes that. Not a 40-line Key Performance Indicator (KPI) report. One page. A handful of numbers that tell the truth about the business.
What the scorecard should answer
- Are we bringing in enough work?
- Are we producing efficiently?
- Are we collecting cash fast enough?
- Are we building or burning capacity?
- Are problems being solved or recycled?
A practical service-business scorecard (example)
- New booked revenue (this week)
- Pipeline value and win rate
- Gross margin (job-based, not “hope-based”)
- Labor utilization (or billable hours)
- Work-in-progress and aged receivables
- Cash balance and projected two-week cash need
- Top operational misses (with an owner assigned)
This is not about policing people. It’s about seeing reality early enough to do something about it.
What kills companies is not one bad week. It’s ten “sort of bad” weeks in a row that nobody names.
What to do this week
- Create a scorecard with 7 to 10 metrics max.
- Review it weekly, same day, same time, every week.
- Assign one owner to each red metric and require a next action.