What is the EOS^® Issues List?

The Issues List is the EOS tool that captures every problem, obstacle, opportunity, or idea the company needs to address. Every issue goes on the list until it gets solved. EOS uses three Issues Lists: the V/TO™ Issues List for long-term strategic issues, the leadership team Issues List for weekly tactical issues, and departmental Issues Lists for team-level issues. The Issues List is the fuel for IDS™.

A strong Issues List means an honest company. A short or empty Issues List usually means the team is not surfacing what needs to be said.

Why the Issues List exists

Problems in most companies get handled one of two ways: talked about in hallways or ignored. Both approaches fail.

The hallway conversation never produces a decision. The person complaining feels heard for a minute, then the problem festers. The ignored problem grows until it becomes a crisis.

The Issues List solves this by creating a single, visible, accountable place for every problem. The moment an issue is named and added to the list, three things happen:

• The team commits to solving it
• Everyone sees it is not being ignored
• It gets a spot in the queue for IDS

Issues that live on the list get solved. Issues that live in hallways never do.

The three Issues Lists in EOS

The V/TO Issues List

Long-term strategic issues that affect the direction of the company. These issues may take weeks, months, or quarters to solve. They belong on page two of the V/TO.

Examples:

• Need to evaluate entering a new geographic market
• Long-term succession plan for the CFO seat
• Decision on whether to acquire a smaller competitor
• Refresh of the 3-Year Picture

Reviewed every Quarterly Pulsing Session.

The Leadership Team Issues List

Weekly tactical issues that the leadership team needs to solve in the near term. These issues are usually resolved within one to two Level 10 Meetings.

Examples:

• Sales is missing quota in the Northeast region
• New pricing rollout is causing customer confusion
• Hiring pipeline for the Director of Operations is weak
• Vendor contract renewal coming up in three weeks

Reviewed every Level 10 Meeting™ during IDS.

The Departmental Issues List

Team-level issues that affect a specific department. Every department running EOS has its own Issues List, reviewed during its own Level 10 Meeting.

Examples:

• Marketing automation platform is dropping leads
• Onboarding process has a gap between sales and CS handoff
• Training materials for new reps are outdated

Reviewed every departmental Level 10 Meeting.

How to build an Issues List

Step 1: Make it visible

The list must live somewhere the whole team can see it. A shared document. A whiteboard. A dedicated page in your meeting software. Not a private notes app.

Step 2: Capture issues in real time

The moment an issue surfaces, add it to the list. Do not try to solve it in the moment. The list is a parking lot for issues until IDS.

Step 3: Keep it simple

Each issue should be one to two sentences. Specific enough that anyone on the team knows what it is. Not an essay.

Good issue: “Sales conversion rate dropped from 22% to 14% in the last six weeks.”

Bad issue: “Sales problems.”

Step 4: Let it grow

A healthy leadership team typically has 10 to 25 issues on the list at any time. If the list is short, the team is hiding issues. If it is 100 items, the team is treating the list as a wish list instead of a working queue.

The IDS process for working the list

Every Level 10 Meeting dedicates 60 minutes to IDS. The team works the Issues List during that time.

Priority first, not top-down

The most common mistake is working the list top to bottom. Do not.

At the start of IDS, the team identifies the top three issues in priority order. Priority means urgency and importance, not chronological order on the list.

One issue at a time

Work issue number one until it is solved. Then move to number two. Then number three.

Resist the urge to jump between issues. Solving one completely beats half-solving three.

Solved issues come off the list

When an issue is solved, it comes off the list. The solution becomes one or more To-Dos for the next week.

Issues that are partially solved or require ongoing work stay on the list until fully closed.

Capturing issues between meetings

Issues show up all week long. A customer complaint on Monday. A team tension on Wednesday. A competitive threat on Friday.

The discipline is capturing them on the list the moment they surface. Not waiting until Monday’s meeting. Not relying on memory.

Every leader carries the Issues List in their pocket, either digitally or on paper. When something comes up, it goes on the list.

The list should grow during the week. It shrinks during the Level 10 Meeting as IDS resolves items.

Common Issues List mistakes

• Trying to solve issues when they are captured. Capture, do not solve. Save solving for IDS.
• Keeping issues in private notes. If it is not on the shared list, it does not exist.
• Treating the list as a wish list. The Issues List is for real problems that need real decisions. Not “it would be nice if.”
• Ignoring the list between meetings. Leaders who do not add to the list between meetings end up with an artificially short list that misses the real issues.
• Avoiding hard issues. The issues that are hardest to name are usually the most important. Enter the danger.
• Letting issues linger for months. An issue that stays on the list for eight weeks is either not important enough to be there, or the team is avoiding it.

The relationship between the three Issues Lists

Issues move between lists as they clarify.

• A tactical issue on the Leadership List that turns out to be a strategic issue moves to the V/TO Issues List.
• A cross-departmental issue on a Department List that needs leadership attention moves to the Leadership Issues List.
• An issue that starts big on the V/TO list and gets broken into a tactical chunk moves to the Leadership List.

The lists are connected. Issues flow to the right level for solving.

How the Issues List connects to the rest of EOS

• IDS. The Issues List is the fuel for IDS. No Issues List, no IDS.
• Level 10 Meeting. Issues get added during the meeting (Scorecard™ red, Rocks™ off-track, Customer/Employee Headlines) and solved during IDS.
• V/TO. The V/TO Issues List is question eight on page two.
• Meeting Pulse™. The V/TO Issues List gets reviewed every quarter during Pulsing.
• Rocks. Issues that need more than a week to solve often become the next quarter’s Rocks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Issues List in EOS?

The Issues List is the EOS tool that captures every problem, obstacle, opportunity, or idea the company needs to address. It is the fuel for IDS, the EOS issue-solving method.

How many Issues Lists exist in EOS?

Three. The V/TO Issues List (long-term strategic). The leadership team Issues List (weekly tactical). The departmental Issues List (team-level).

How many issues should be on the list?

A healthy leadership Issues List typically has 10 to 25 issues at any time. Too short means the team is hiding issues. Too long means the team is not solving them.

What is the difference between an issue and a to-do?

An issue is a problem or decision that needs solving. A To-Do is the seven-day action item that results from solving an issue. Issues live on the Issues List until IDS. To-Dos live on the To-Do List until done.

Should the Issues List be shared publicly?

The leadership Issues List is shared among the leadership team. Some companies share it more broadly. Departmental Issues Lists are typically visible to the department. The key is visibility to the people who need to work the issues.

How often is the Issues List reviewed?

The leadership Issues List is reviewed every Level 10 Meeting (weekly). The V/TO Issues List is reviewed every Quarterly Pulsing Session.

Related EOS Tools

• IDS
• Level 10 Meeting
• V/TO
• Meeting Pulse
• Rocks

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