An L10 meeting agenda is a structured, usually weekly, 90-minute meeting format used by teams following the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). It moves through a consistent sequence—check-in, scorecard, priorities, headlines, to-dos, problem-solving, and a close—so the team can review performance and resolve its most important issues.
What an L10 Meeting Is
“L10” refers to the meeting’s closing rating: participants score the meeting from 1 to 10, with 10 representing an excellent use of their time. The name does not mean the meeting must be perfect or that every participant has to give it the same score. Ratings and brief feedback help a team notice whether its meetings are useful and make improvements over time.
The format is associated with EOS, a business operating framework. Its agenda is designed to create a regular rhythm: review a small set of measurable results, check progress on important quarterly priorities, and spend most of the meeting addressing issues rather than giving lengthy status reports. Teams may adapt the terminology or timing, but changing the format substantially can make it harder to maintain that rhythm.
An L10 is not simply a general team catch-up. It is most useful when the same core group meets regularly, shares responsibility for team results, and can make decisions or assign actions. A project update, training session, or all-hands presentation may need a different agenda.
The Standard 90-Minute Agenda
A common EOS L10 agenda allocates 90 minutes across seven parts. Keeping the sections in order protects time for discussion and gives the meeting a predictable shape:
- Segue — 5 minutes: Each person shares a brief personal or professional good news item. This helps participants arrive and connect before moving into the work.
- Scorecard — 5 minutes: Review weekly numbers against their targets. The purpose is to identify measures that are off track, not to explain every number at length.
- Rock review — 5 minutes: Check the status of quarterly priorities, often called Rocks. Mark each as on track or off track and add any issue that needs attention.
- Customer and employee headlines — 5 minutes: Share concise updates, feedback, or news that the leadership team should know. A headline is a prompt, not a full report.
- To-do review — 5 minutes: Check last week’s action items as done or not done. Unfinished items may need a new owner or due date, or may belong on the issues list.
- IDS — 60 minutes: Identify, discuss, and solve the most important issues. The team prioritizes, works through root causes, and records decisions or actions.
- Conclude — 5 minutes: Confirm new to-dos, decide what information needs to be communicated to others, and rate the meeting.
The six shorter sections take 30 minutes in total, leaving two-thirds of the meeting for IDS. This allocation is intentional: routine tracking should be concise so the group can address the matters that could impede progress. If a team consistently uses the full 60 minutes for routine updates, it may need better preparation or tighter facilitation.
Printable L10 Meeting Agenda Template
Use this blank agenda for a recurring meeting. Keep the time allocations visible, write brief notes, and capture decisions or follow-up actions where the whole team can find them. Add issue titles before the meeting when possible, then select the highest-priority items during IDS.
| Agenda section | Minutes | Owner | Notes, decisions, or status | Follow-up or due date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Segue | 5 | |||
| Scorecard | 5 | |||
| Rock review | 5 | |||
| Customer and employee headlines | 5 | |||
| To-do review | 5 | |||
| IDS: identify, discuss, solve | 60 | |||
| Conclude: recap, communication, rating | 5 |
How to Prepare and Run the Meeting
A repeatable preparation routine keeps the agenda from turning into a live data-gathering session. Before the meeting, participants should update their assigned scorecard measures, check their Rocks and to-dos, and submit issues that may need team attention. The facilitator can then make sure the right information is available and that the team has a workable list to prioritize.
- Start on time and follow the sequence. A consistent start and order make it easier for participants to prepare and help prevent a late-running discussion from consuming the entire meeting.
- Keep updates short. Report whether a measure or priority is on track. If an explanation requires discussion, capture the issue for IDS rather than taking time from every agenda item.
- Prioritize issues together. Choose the most important problems, not necessarily the easiest ones. If an issue is too broad, clarify the specific obstacle the team needs to resolve.
- Record outcomes as they happen. Write down decisions, owners, and due dates. A useful action item starts with a clear task and has one accountable owner.
- Close with a recap. Read back commitments, confirm who will communicate relevant decisions, and ask each participant for a meeting rating.
The facilitator’s job is to protect the process, not to dominate the conversation. Depending on the team, facilitation may rotate or belong to a designated person. Someone should also capture notes and actions; when the facilitator takes that role, it can help to assign another participant to watch the clock.
What Scorecards, Rocks, To-Dos, and IDS Mean
These terms describe different kinds of information, and separating them makes the agenda easier to use. A scorecard tracks a small number of weekly measures that indicate how the organization or team is performing. Each measure should have a clear definition, a target, and an owner who can report it. A scorecard is not intended to become a long collection of numbers that no one acts on.
Rocks are the important priorities a team commits to complete during a quarter. A weekly check asks whether each priority is on track, not for a detailed project presentation. A to-do is a shorter-term action, generally expected to be completed within the next week. A to-do is not the same as a broad goal: “send the revised launch schedule to the team by Thursday” is more actionable than “improve launch planning.”
IDS stands for Identify, Discuss, Solve. First, define the actual issue. Next, discuss relevant facts and possible causes without drifting into unrelated subjects. Finally, agree on a resolution, decision, or next action. Solving an issue does not always mean the underlying work is finished during the meeting; it means the team leaves with clarity about what happens next.
Fictional Example of a Completed Agenda
Sample only—these details are fictional. Imagine a six-person operations team whose weekly meeting starts at 9:00 a.m. Its scorecard includes orders processed and late deliveries. One measure is below target, and the team notes the gap without spending the scorecard section debating the cause. During the Rock review, members mark a quarterly process-improvement priority as off track. A customer headline mentions repeated confusion about a delivery window.
When the team reaches IDS, it ranks the delivery-window issue above a lower-impact internal concern. Discussion reveals that the published schedule and the team’s working schedule do not match. The group decides to confirm which schedule is authoritative and assigns one person to report back by Wednesday. The action is recorded as a to-do with an owner and deadline. During the close, the facilitator reads it aloud, confirms whether the customer-facing team needs a message, and collects the meeting ratings. This example shows how a short headline can surface a problem without becoming a long report before IDS.
Choosing What to Adapt
The standard timing is a useful starting point, not a reason to force every team into the same operating details. A new team may need to define its scorecard measures or explain its Rocks before it can review them quickly. It can do that work outside the weekly L10 or temporarily allow more clarification, while still protecting the meeting’s problem-solving time.
Before changing the agenda, identify the friction. If there are too many scorecard measures, simplify the measures or move background analysis elsewhere. If IDS regularly runs out of time, improve issue preparation and prioritization. If people cannot attend for the full 90 minutes, consider whether the core group is correctly defined; splitting the meeting into disconnected fragments may make shared decisions harder.
Teams can also adjust terms to fit their workplace, provided the responsibilities remain clear. For example, a group may call Rocks “quarterly priorities.” The important distinction is that weekly measures, quarterly outcomes, short-term tasks, and unresolved issues are not all treated as interchangeable updates.
Common Problems and Practical Fixes
- Turning the scorecard into a report-out: Reading every number aloud wastes time. Share the data in advance or display it, then focus on measures that are off track and need a decision or issue entry.
- Discussing every issue in the order it appears: A long list can crowd out the most consequential problem. Rank issues and work from the top; defer lower-priority items deliberately rather than rushing through all of them.
- Confusing activity with progress: A Rock can generate many tasks without being on track. Review whether the quarterly outcome is likely to be achieved, not simply whether people have been busy.
- Leaving actions vague: “Follow up” does not say what will happen or who is responsible. Record a specific next step, one owner, and a reasonable due date.
- Letting IDS become a brainstorming loop: If the discussion wanders, restate the issue and ask what decision or solution is needed. Move unrelated points onto the list rather than solving everything at once.
- Ignoring low ratings: A rating is useful only if the team considers the feedback. Ask what one change would make the next meeting more effective, then try a specific adjustment and review it.
Not every unresolved subject belongs in the L10. Some topics need research, a separate working session, or input from people who are not in the room. The team can assign a next step to gather that input and return with a better-defined issue. This is different from allowing the agenda to become an open-ended discussion of every operational detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is an L10 meeting?
An L10 meeting is commonly scheduled for 90 minutes. The standard agenda assigns 5 minutes each to the segue, scorecard, Rock review, headlines, to-do review, and conclusion, with 60 minutes for IDS.
What does L10 stand for?
L10 refers to the meeting’s rating on a 1-to-10 scale at the close. Participants rate how useful the meeting was; the number is a feedback measure, not a guarantee that the meeting achieved every desired outcome.
What is IDS in an L10 meeting?
IDS means Identify, Discuss, Solve. The team clarifies an issue, discusses it to understand what is happening, and agrees on a decision or next action. It is the main problem-solving portion of the agenda.
Can an L10 meeting be shorter than 90 minutes?
A team can choose a different duration, but the standard format is 90 minutes. If meetings regularly need less time, check whether the team is addressing its key issues and making decisions before simply removing agenda time.
What should go on an L10 issues list?
Add a problem, obstacle, concern, or decision that needs team attention. Write it clearly enough to recognize later, then prioritize it during the meeting. Routine updates and tasks with an obvious owner may not need to take up IDS time.