Executing is hard, planning is easy.
I think the stress around quarterly planning is misplaced.
All we want to know is: did we do what we said and did it have the impact we thought.
We just revisited our quarterly plan. Here's how we approached it, in steps...
1ļøā£ Set annual objectives:
Confirm the sales orgās annual objectives and focus.
Ask...
- What is the ābig pictureā?
- How do these align with company vision?
2ļøā£ Align quarterly focus:
Identify focus areas for the quarter - balancing long-term goals and immediate objectives.
Ask...
- How do we contribute to the orgās annual objectives?
- What are our departmental metrics of success?
3ļøā£ Support with team goals
Translate department objectives into team goals. Each team should aim for no more than three goals that are SMART and contribute to quarterly objectives.
Ask...
- How does it contribute to quarterly objectives?
- Are the team goals SMART?
4ļøā£ Document as project:
Create a project document with milestones. Team leaders manage their processes, understanding how individual work ties to team goals.
Ask...
- How will we define and document milestones for each project?
- Who owns the reporting of each project?
5ļøā£ Track progress over time:
Update the document monthly to track progress on goals. Leaders update their sections with wins, challenges, and adjustments.
Ask...
- What is the preferred method of reporting/reviewing milestones?
- What are IC roles in updates?
6ļøā£ Review in full at the end of quarter:
Evaluate success against goals. Use feedback to refine goal-setting for next quarter.
Ask...
- How did we perform against the metrics of success?
- What lessons learned can we identify from this quarter's process?
Of course, there's going to be some more details to work out. But the concept doesn't change.
Would love to hear how your team approaches planning and what you're finding to be effective.