Running a business
How to build a weekly scorecard for a small business
A step-by-step guide to building a simple weekly scorecard: which numbers to track, how to set targets and how to use it in a two minute Monday check.
By Clyde LangleyUpdated 5 min read
Quick answer
A weekly scorecard is a short list of five to ten numbers you check every Monday to see how last week went. Start with leads, quotes sent, number of sales, money in, money out and the hours you worked. Set a target for each, mark it green, amber or red, and talk about the reds.
Why weekly, not monthly
Monthly accounts tell you what happened weeks ago. A weekly scorecard shows problems while you can still do something about them.
A good starter set
- Leads: new enquiries this week
- Quotes sent: how many proposals went out
- Number of sales: jobs or orders won
- Money in: cash received
- Money out: cash paid
- Hours you worked: the honest number
Building it in five steps
- Pick five to ten numbers that predict how the month will go.
- Give each one an owner, someone who reports it every week.
- Set a weekly target for each.
- Every Monday, fill in last week's figures. It should take two minutes.
- Look at the trend over six weeks, and talk about anything red.
Common mistakes
- Tracking too many numbers
- Only tracking money and not the activity that produces it
- Filling it in but never discussing it
- Changing the numbers every month
Related questions
Yes. A spreadsheet works fine to start. MyMastery clients use the weekly scorecard in the platform, which shows the six week trend automatically.