“Can you find me the EOS of software development?” – asked Nick Beavers, the owner of a prospering software company. “I have been looking for a simple self-sustaining system for writing code and was wondering if there was one out there.” — he explained. I pinged my EOS Implementer friends on Slack, but Agile was the most EOS-esque system for coding they could come up with. (EOS stands for the Entrepreneurial Operating System, a holistic management blueprint for running owner-managed companies.)
Smash confusion with EOS
Nick has been running Media Cybernetics on EOS for a while and was looking to streamline his software release cadence. He sought an all-encompassing and enduring system which would help to prioritize and accomplish sprints. Surely, there must be an all-season blueprint for coding.
A month later a friend inquired about “the EOS of marketing”, which would allow her to cut through the confusion of social media, pay per click, podcasting and Facebook ads. She has the latest “secrets” hyped by marketing gurus that don’t work and was looking for a simple, time-tested approach to generate predictable results.
Suddenly, yesterday, a fellow Strategic Coachee asked me if an “EOS for business development” existed. A simple system that would help him close deals without fail? He loathes the unpredictability of calling going away, prospects ghosting email, virtual networking not working, and LinkedIn messaging burning out. There must exist a stable process to smash through the complications and get sales in the bag.
And then I realized…
EOS works great for the management or organizations, which is an unchanging human process. Get the right people into your organization and into the right seats. Cultivate a culture of open communications and have your people solve problems. Figure out where you are going and how you will get there. Set financial objectives and priorities and hold your team accountable to smashing them.
No amount of technological progress will change that. Management is eternal.
EOS-ize what endures
In contrast, marketing, coding and business development are fast changing disciplines that don’t lend themselves to enduring cookie cutter approaches. Except the MANAGEMENT of coding, marketing and bizdev. These are stable processes, and EOS will help you get organized to do them well.
This is where the Rock-Step Planner™ shines as a complementary tool. It helps you break down your overarching goals into actionable, manageable steps—whether it’s a quarterly sprint in software development, marketing initiatives, or a sales campaign. EOS does incorporate diverse ideas, including Agile. Breaking down your 10-Year Target into 3-Year Pictures, 1-year Plans and Quarterly Rocks is analogous to the sprints that software developers use to conquer massive projects, through defining multiple one to two-week marches.
The Rock-Step Planner enhances this framework by providing a visual and structured way to map out these steps, ensuring everyone remains aligned and accountable.
