# Playbook Adoption Scorecard

> A stage-by-stage scoring system that tells you whether reps are actually running the playbook in live deals, or whether it was published once and forgotten.

Free scorecard/rubric for sales leaders. Topic: [Sales Content, Playbooks & Battlecards](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/sales-content-playbooks-battlecards/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/playbook-adoption-scorecard/

## How to use it

Score every rep against each stage monthly using CRM data, a call-recording sample, and manager notes; apply the rep-problem vs. playbook-problem rule before deciding whether to coach the rep or rebuild the stage.

## What's inside

- Stage-mapping step to define your own pipeline stages
- Four adoption metrics scored per stage: reference rate, artifact usage, manager-observed adherence, outcome correlation
- Per-rep and per-team roll-up scoring (0-20 per stage)
- Green / Yellow / Red banding with a required action for each
- A rep-problem vs. playbook-problem diagnostic rule for reading team-wide Red scores
- A fill-in team dashboard template across all stages

**Purpose:** Measure whether reps are actually executing the playbook stage-by-stage, not just whether it exists and was announced in a kickoff six months ago. Distinguishes individual non-adoption (coach the rep) from systemic playbook failure (fix the playbook).

**Cadence:** Monthly, using CRM stage-gate data + a sample of call recordings (minimum 5 calls per rep per stage per quarter) + manager 1:1 notes.

## Step 1, Map your playbook's stages

List your actual pipeline stages (example below, replace with yours):

1. Discovery
2. Qualification
3. Demo / Proof
4. Proposal
5. Negotiation
6. Close

## Step 2: Score each stage on 4 adoption metrics (0-5 each, 20 pts per stage)

| Metric | 0 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Reference rate**: rep opened/consulted the stage guide during a deal at that stage (CRM/content-tool logs) | Never | Rarely (<20% of deals) | Sometimes (20-60%) | Consistently (>60%) |
| **Artifact usage**: the stage's actual template/talk-track/email was used, with evidence (attached doc, sent email, logged call) | No evidence | Evidence in <25% of deals | 25-60% | >60% |
| **Manager-observed adherence**, call recording or live-shadow scored against the stage's specific required behaviors | Behaviors absent | 1 of 3 present | 2 of 3 present | All 3 present |
| **Outcome correlation**, stage-specific KPI is being hit (e.g., Discovery: qualification fields completed; Demo: multithread count ≥2; Proposal: mutual close plan attached) | KPI not tracked / 0% | <40% | 40-75% | >75% |

## Step 3: Roll up scores

**Per rep, per stage:** sum the 4 metrics (max 20). **Per rep, overall:** sum across all stages (max = 20 × number of stages). **Per team:** average the per-rep overall scores.

## Scoring Bands (per stage, out of 20)

| Band | Score | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 16-20 | Stage is genuinely adopted | No action; use as internal case study |
| Yellow | 10-15 | Partial adoption | 1:1 coaching on the specific missing metric this month |
| Red | 0-9 | Adoption has failed at this stage | Investigate before blaming the rep, see Step 4 |

## Step 4, Diagnose: rep problem or playbook problem?

If a stage is Red for **one or two reps** → individual coaching gap. Pair with a Green-scoring peer; shadow a live call; re-certify on that stage.

If a stage is Red **across the majority of the team** → the playbook itself has failed at that stage. Common root causes:
- The stage guide contradicts what actually works in your market (reps have quietly self-corrected)
- The associated artifact is too long, poorly formatted, or lives somewhere reps don't naturally look
- The stage's "required behavior" was never trained, only published
- The KPI being measured isn't actually controllable by the rep at that stage

**Rule:** never run a re-training push on a stage that's Red team-wide without first checking whether the playbook content is the actual defect, retraining reps on broken content just produces a second round of non-adoption.

## Team Dashboard Template

| Stage | Reference rate | Artifact usage | Manager-observed | Outcome correlation | Stage total /20 | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | | | | | | |
| Qualification | | | | | | |
| Demo/Proof | | | | | | |
| Proposal | | | | | | |
| Negotiation | | | | | | |
| Close | | | | | | |