Simplifying quarterly planning.

A practical guide for teams building their operational frameworks.

6 minute read

Introduction.

It’s that time of year again. Quarterly reporting and planning. For many, both in management and at the coal face, it’s stressful, time consuming, uncertain, and full of pressure. If you’ve ever been there, feeling like you have no idea what’s expected of you or how to even start, you’re not alone. I’ve had my fair share of frustrations with this process, especially in organisations that lacked stable leadership or a well structured roadmap.

It can be an even more chaotic experience if the leadership are constantly pivoting or chasing the next new metric to impress fickle investors or stakeholders.

But here’s the good news…

Quarterly planning doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth.

Over time, I’ve picked up a few key principles that make it much easier to dive into and manage. In this article, I’ll take you through a simple framework you can use to get the ball rolling, even if you’re starting from scratch.

The familiar frustrations of quarterly planning.

Too Much Analysis, Too Little Time - Without a process, teams get stuck feeling like they need to do deep analysis or even reinvent strategy. The result? Stress and missed deadlines.

Out of sync with a lack of clarity - Ever felt like you're working in a bubble? It’s hard to plan when you don’t know what other teams are doing, leading to clashes down the line. When you’re left wondering what success looks like or what’s expected, planning becomes an exercise in guesswork.

Stakeholders demands - Pressure from above to deliver firm dates often leaves teams feeling like they have to predict the future, which, let’s face it, nobody can.

Working against the clock - Rushing through planning because the clock’s ticking is a sure way to fall into the trap of under- or over-committing.

Key principles for starting quarterly planning.

You don’t need an elaborate system to begin quarterly planning. A few clear principles can help guide you through the process, giving you the structure you need without adding complexity.

Don’t chase perfection

Stop aiming for the perfect plan. Instead, focus on getting something “good enough” on paper. The reality is, plans will always need adjusting as things shift. Trying to nail down every last detail wastes valuable time and adds unnecessary pressure. Go for something workable, not flawless.

Build on what’s already in motion

You don’t need to reset everything at the start of every quarter. Most planning is about tweaking and extending the work you’re already doing. What’s been successful? What do you need to adjust? Focus on evolving your current initiatives rather than reinventing the wheel. It’ll save time and keep your momentum going.

Use the information you have now

Quarterly planning doesn’t require you to be a data detective. Use the insights and information already at your disposal—don’t get stuck waiting for the perfect dataset. You’re making educated decisions based on the present, not chasing hypothetical future clarity.

Collaboration beats consensus

The best quarterly plans don’t live in isolation. Get input from your team and stakeholders early on, so you aren’t blindsided down the road. This isn’t about getting everyone to agree on everything but about ensuring alignment and avoiding roadblocks that could come up later.

Reduce the reporting burden with lightweight processes.

Before diving into the 4 step approach to quarterly planning, it's worth considering how you’ll keep track of progress without burdening the team with time-consuming reporting. The goal is to maintain visibility without sacrificing productivity - the more effort spent writing reports, the less time is spent on the work product to report on.

Here are two lightweight reporting methods that could make generating quarterly reports easier for your teams:

Demonstration over documentation

Where possible, rather than asking for detailed written reports, encourage teams to showcase their progress in practical ways. For example, a sprint demo or a regular show-and-tell session at the end of each work cycle can highlight what’s been achieved. These real-time demonstrations can provide stakeholders with valuable insights into team progress without anyone needing to create formal reports. It also fosters a more collaborative atmosphere and allows immediate feedback.

There is an excellent article about the application of demos as reporting replacements by Nickhil Bhave here: https://bhave.substack.com/p/kill-project-status-reports-to-build

Rolling progress reports

Another approach is to implement continual progress tracking that builds up incrementally over the quarter. Teams can contribute short updates weekly or biweekly—think bullet points or a sentence or two. These can be collected in a shared document or tool (wherever you maintain your single source of truth!). Over time, these small updates accumulate, reducing the need for a massive, end-of-quarter effort to produce a formal report. It’s an efficient way to keep everyone aligned with minimal effort.

The added benefit of rolling progress reports in an open environment is that there are no surprises at the end of quarters and course corrections can be made based on data if it is maintained frequently.

A Practical 4 Step Approach.

Now, let’s break down the process. Even if your team’s never done structured quarterly planning before, this four-step approach makes it easy to implement and get results fast.

1. Preparation: Gather the inputs

Before you jump into planning mode, gather the necessary inputs. This will make the actual planning more straightforward.

Review What’s Been Working - Look at your current strategies. What's the progress? What lessons have been learned? This reflection will guide how you approach the next quarter.

Get Stakeholder Insight - Stakeholders often have different priorities. Check in with them to understand what’s important from their perspective and how that might affect your plan.

Assess Team Capacity - Knowing how much time and energy your teams have is crucial. This includes accounting for any tech debt or maintenance work. It’s a quick way to get real about what’s achievable.

2. Plan: Map out the next quarter

Once you’ve gathered all the inputs, it’s time to map out your quarterly plan. The key here is to stay focused.

One Focus per Team - Each team should have one big focus or a single North Star metric. This keeps things clear and manageable.

Create Inspiring but Clear Goals - Each goal should be ambitious enough to excite your team but also realistic enough to achieve. For example, “Increase customer retention by 5% by the end of Q2” gives a clear target.

Define Measurable Outcomes - Quantify success. Don’t just say you want to improve something, define what improvement looks like with clear metrics. SMART objectives are your friend.

Outline Flexible Initiatives - Don’t lock yourself into rigid commitments. Instead, list potential projects or initiatives, leaving room for adjustments as the quarter progresses.

3. Sanity check: Ensure alignment between your teams, stakeholders and reality

Before you go full steam ahead, make sure you’re aligned with your team and stakeholders.

Internal Team Review - Ensure that everyone understands the focus and objectives. Are we being ambitious enough? Are we all clear on how we’re measuring success? Have we thought through dependencies with other teams?

Stakeholder Review - Check in with stakeholders to get feedback and address any concerns. This prevents nasty surprises later and makes sure you’ve covered all bases.

4. Execution: Get to work

Once everything’s aligned, it’s time to get moving.

Keep it Agile - Start executing, knowing that you might need to adjust. Regular check-ins will help you stay on track and allow you to pivot as needed.

Track Progress - Don’t wait until the end of the quarter to assess how things are going. Ongoing check-ins will keep your team accountable and allow you to course-correct quickly if something’s not working.

Conclusion.

Quarterly planning doesn’t have to be an overwhelming, stressful process. By following these principles and a straightforward framework, even teams without existing systems in place can get organised quickly and effectively. The key is to stay flexible, work with what you’ve got, and keep the momentum going throughout the quarter.

With a clear focus, realistic goals, and regular check-ins, you’ll set yourself up for success every three months.

Talk to us if you’d like some help applying better reporting practices within your business.

You can also schedule a call directly with Paul. It’s a 30 minute informal introduction, feel free to bring your lunch or coffee :)

Book it here: https://calendly.com/paul-braw-consulting/intro-call