Quarterly planning is a strategic process where teams break down annual business goals into four manageable increments. This approach allows organizations to learn from the previous quarter’s performance, set realistic goals, and establish OKRs and KPIs to measure success. It promotes adaptability, team alignment, and helps track progress more effectively than annual planning alone. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Quarterly planning focuses on the next three months, allowing for more frequent check-ins, adaptability, and incremental progress. Annual planning provides a broader, long-term view and sets the strategic intent for the year. Both approaches complement each other: quarterly planning zooms in on immediate actions, while annual planning ensures alignment with the company’s overall mission. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Key items to include are: 1) Retrospective on the last quarter, 2) Brainstorming new ideas, 3) Prioritizing initiatives that impact goals, 4) Considering upcoming events and resource constraints, and 5) Identifying potential obstacles and risks. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
To ensure accountability, share meeting notes, assign action items, and establish clear timelines for follow-up. Tools like Spinach AI can automate note-taking and action item tracking to streamline this process. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Yes, Spinach AI offers a free quarterly planning meeting agenda template to help you get started. You can access it by signing up on the Spinach AI website. (Source: Quarterly Planning Template)
Quarterly planning helps teams understand their role in the bigger picture, clarifies expectations, and reinforces overarching goals. It creates opportunities for buy-in and collaboration, leading to improved alignment and engagement. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Common obstacles include unexpected events, resource constraints, and misaligned priorities. Identifying potential blockers in advance and building contingency plans can help teams stay on track. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Tracking progress is easier with quarterly goals because they are shorter-term and more focused. Regular check-ins, reviewing OKRs and KPIs, and using tools like Spinach AI for automated documentation can help teams monitor and adjust their plans as needed. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
To encourage idea generation, use brainstorming techniques such as open-ended questions, mind mapping, or referencing resources like Asana’s brainstorming techniques guide. The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible before prioritizing. (Source: Asana Brainstorming Techniques)
After brainstorming, use tools like gap analysis to identify the difference between your current state and ideal goals. Prioritize initiatives based on their direct impact on goals and what is realistic given available resources. (Source: Lucidchart Gap Analysis)
Spinach AI automates meeting agendas, takes accurate notes, tracks action items, and integrates with your existing tools. This streamlines the planning process, ensures accountability, and helps teams stay focused on their goals. (Source: Spinach AI Features)
Yes, Spinach AI automatically captures meeting notes and action items, making it easy to share outcomes and ensure follow-through after planning sessions. (Source: Spinach AI Action Items)
You can get started by signing up with your Google or Microsoft account, connecting your calendar, and using the free quarterly planning template provided by Spinach AI. (Source: Spinach AI Signup)
Spinach AI provides a collection of free goal and OKR examples, as well as guides on how to set and track OKRs each quarter. (Source: Goal & OKR Examples)
Spinach AI runs the agenda, takes accurate meeting notes, automates tasks, and integrates with tools like Zoom, Slack, Jira, and Salesforce, helping managers hit their goals and share performance feedback faster. (Source: Spinach AI Features)
Spinach AI integrates with popular tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Jira, and Salesforce, enabling seamless collaboration and workflow automation. (Source: Spinach AI Integrations)
Spinach AI automates tasks such as drafting meeting recaps, proposals, and updating CRM systems, reducing the time spent on administrative work and allowing teams to focus on strategic initiatives. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI is SOC 2 Type 2 certified (verified by EY), GDPR compliant, and HIPAA compliant. It uses TLS and AES-256 encryption and offers features like SAML SSO, SCIM, admin controls, and custom data retention policies. For the SOC 2 report, contact [email protected]. (Source: Spinach AI Security)
Yes, Spinach AI offers a Transcript & AI Summary API, available as an add-on for some plans and included in the Enterprise plan. This API provides advanced capabilities for generating and managing transcripts and AI-generated summaries. (Source: Spinach AI Pricing)
Spinach AI can be set up almost instantly. Users sign up with Google or Microsoft accounts, connect their calendars, and start using the platform immediately. No complex IT involvement is required. (Source: Spinach AI Pricing)
Spinach AI is designed for product managers, engineering teams, project managers, marketing, HR, recruiting, customer success, sales, and finance teams. It supports any team looking to enhance productivity, collaboration, and workflow automation. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI offers automated note-taking, workflow optimization, AI-powered insights, seamless integrations, and tailored solutions for different roles. It also provides advanced security and compliance features. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI addresses challenges such as manual note-taking, administrative overhead, workflow inefficiencies, extracting insights from user feedback, and maintaining team alignment. It automates and streamlines these processes for better outcomes. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI stands out for its tailored features for different roles, advanced AI-powered insights, seamless integrations, and strong security and compliance. Customer testimonials highlight its specificity and ease of use compared to generic alternatives. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Customers consistently praise Spinach AI for its ease of use, seamless integrations, and positive impact on productivity and team communication. Testimonials from companies like Careviso, Do It Consulting Group, and Authvia highlight these benefits. (Source: Spinach AI Testimonials)
Industries using Spinach AI include sales, customer success, technology, revenue operations, consulting, and healthcare technology. Case studies and testimonials are available on the Spinach AI website. (Source: Spinach AI Testimonials)
Yes. For example, Ron Meyer at Infinite Ranges uses Spinach AI to manage sales cycles without pausing to take notes, and Sergio at AlfaDocs leverages it for brainstorming and follow-ups. More case studies are available on the Spinach AI testimonials page. (Source: Spinach AI Testimonials)
Spinach AI provides tailored solutions: Sales teams get CRM integrations and buyer insights; product managers get PRD generation and user feedback analysis; customer success teams automate onboarding and follow-ups; engineering teams automate sprint planning and standups; HR teams streamline hiring and onboarding. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI increases productivity, streamlines workflows, enhances collaboration, enables data-driven decisions, and improves customer engagement by automating key processes and integrating with existing tools. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI never uses user data for training and maintains strict privacy standards, including custom data retention policies and advanced encryption. (Source: Spinach AI Security)
Premium users receive an onboarding program to ensure a smooth transition and help teams fully utilize Spinach AI’s features. (Source: Spinach AI Pricing)
You can contact Spinach AI for security or compliance questions, including access to the SOC 2 report, by emailing [email protected]. (Source: Spinach AI Security)
Spinach.ai is enterprise-ready, offering robust security and compliance with SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and HIPAA certifications. The Enterprise plan provides advanced features essential for large organizations, including SAML SSO, custom data retention, a dedicated API, compliance monitoring, and a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
Quarterly planning is a strategic process where teams break down annual business goals into four manageable increments. This approach allows organizations to learn from the previous quarter’s performance, set realistic goals, and establish OKRs and KPIs to measure success. It promotes adaptability, team alignment, and helps track progress more effectively than annual planning alone. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Quarterly planning focuses on the next three months, allowing for more frequent check-ins, adaptability, and incremental progress. Annual planning provides a broader, long-term view and sets the strategic intent for the year. Both approaches complement each other: quarterly planning zooms in on immediate actions, while annual planning ensures alignment with the company’s overall mission. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Key items to include are: 1) Retrospective on the last quarter, 2) Brainstorming new ideas, 3) Prioritizing initiatives that impact goals, 4) Considering upcoming events and resource constraints, and 5) Identifying potential obstacles and risks. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
To ensure accountability, share meeting notes, assign action items, and establish clear timelines for follow-up. Tools like Spinach AI can automate note-taking and action item tracking to streamline this process. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Yes, Spinach AI offers a free quarterly planning meeting agenda template to help you get started. You can access it by signing up on the Spinach AI website. (Source: Quarterly Planning Template)
Quarterly planning helps teams understand their role in the bigger picture, clarifies expectations, and reinforces overarching goals. It creates opportunities for buy-in and collaboration, leading to improved alignment and engagement. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Common obstacles include unexpected events, resource constraints, and misaligned priorities. Identifying potential blockers in advance and building contingency plans can help teams stay on track. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
Tracking progress is easier with quarterly goals because they are shorter-term and more focused. Regular check-ins, reviewing OKRs and KPIs, and using tools like Spinach AI for automated documentation can help teams monitor and adjust their plans as needed. (Source: Quarterly Planning Guide)
To encourage idea generation, use brainstorming techniques such as open-ended questions, mind mapping, or referencing resources like Asana’s brainstorming techniques guide. The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible before prioritizing. (Source: Asana Brainstorming Techniques)
After brainstorming, use tools like gap analysis to identify the difference between your current state and ideal goals. Prioritize initiatives based on their direct impact on goals and what is realistic given available resources. (Source: Lucidchart Gap Analysis)
Spinach AI automates meeting agendas, takes accurate notes, tracks action items, and integrates with your existing tools. This streamlines the planning process, ensures accountability, and helps teams stay focused on their goals. (Source: Spinach AI Features)
Yes, Spinach AI automatically captures meeting notes and action items, making it easy to share outcomes and ensure follow-through after planning sessions. (Source: Spinach AI Action Items)
You can get started by signing up with your Google or Microsoft account, connecting your calendar, and using the free quarterly planning template provided by Spinach AI. (Source: Spinach AI Signup)
Spinach AI provides a collection of free goal and OKR examples, as well as guides on how to set and track OKRs each quarter. (Source: Goal & OKR Examples)
Spinach AI runs the agenda, takes accurate meeting notes, automates tasks, and integrates with tools like Zoom, Slack, Jira, and Salesforce, helping managers hit their goals and share performance feedback faster. (Source: Spinach AI Features)
Spinach AI integrates with popular tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Jira, and Salesforce, enabling seamless collaboration and workflow automation. (Source: Spinach AI Integrations)
Spinach AI automates tasks such as drafting meeting recaps, proposals, and updating CRM systems, reducing the time spent on administrative work and allowing teams to focus on strategic initiatives. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI is SOC 2 Type 2 certified (verified by EY), GDPR compliant, and HIPAA compliant. It uses TLS and AES-256 encryption and offers features like SAML SSO, SCIM, admin controls, and custom data retention policies. For the SOC 2 report, contact [email protected]. (Source: Spinach AI Security)
Yes, Spinach AI offers a Transcript & AI Summary API, available as an add-on for some plans and included in the Enterprise plan. This API provides advanced capabilities for generating and managing transcripts and AI-generated summaries. (Source: Spinach AI Pricing)
Spinach AI can be set up almost instantly. Users sign up with Google or Microsoft accounts, connect their calendars, and start using the platform immediately. No complex IT involvement is required. (Source: Spinach AI Pricing)
Spinach AI is designed for product managers, engineering teams, project managers, marketing, HR, recruiting, customer success, sales, and finance teams. It supports any team looking to enhance productivity, collaboration, and workflow automation. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI offers automated note-taking, workflow optimization, AI-powered insights, seamless integrations, and tailored solutions for different roles. It also provides advanced security and compliance features. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI addresses challenges such as manual note-taking, administrative overhead, workflow inefficiencies, extracting insights from user feedback, and maintaining team alignment. It automates and streamlines these processes for better outcomes. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI stands out for its tailored features for different roles, advanced AI-powered insights, seamless integrations, and strong security and compliance. Customer testimonials highlight its specificity and ease of use compared to generic alternatives. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Customers consistently praise Spinach AI for its ease of use, seamless integrations, and positive impact on productivity and team communication. Testimonials from companies like Careviso, Do It Consulting Group, and Authvia highlight these benefits. (Source: Spinach AI Testimonials)
Industries using Spinach AI include sales, customer success, technology, revenue operations, consulting, and healthcare technology. Case studies and testimonials are available on the Spinach AI website. (Source: Spinach AI Testimonials)
Yes. For example, Ron Meyer at Infinite Ranges uses Spinach AI to manage sales cycles without pausing to take notes, and Sergio at AlfaDocs leverages it for brainstorming and follow-ups. More case studies are available on the Spinach AI testimonials page. (Source: Spinach AI Testimonials)
Spinach AI provides tailored solutions: Sales teams get CRM integrations and buyer insights; product managers get PRD generation and user feedback analysis; customer success teams automate onboarding and follow-ups; engineering teams automate sprint planning and standups; HR teams streamline hiring and onboarding. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI increases productivity, streamlines workflows, enhances collaboration, enables data-driven decisions, and improves customer engagement by automating key processes and integrating with existing tools. (Source: Spinach AI Homepage)
Spinach AI never uses user data for training and maintains strict privacy standards, including custom data retention policies and advanced encryption. (Source: Spinach AI Security)
Premium users receive an onboarding program to ensure a smooth transition and help teams fully utilize Spinach AI’s features. (Source: Spinach AI Pricing)
You can contact Spinach AI for security or compliance questions, including access to the SOC 2 report, by emailing [email protected]. (Source: Spinach AI Security)
Spinach.ai is enterprise-ready, offering robust security and compliance with SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and HIPAA certifications. The Enterprise plan provides advanced features essential for large organizations, including SAML SSO, custom data retention, a dedicated API, compliance monitoring, and a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
What happens 4 times a year, is an hour long, and attended by your whole team? A quarterly planning meeting! In this article, we review why they're important and how to conduct them.
Nicole Kahansky
How you plan has a huge impact on the success of your organization. That’s why a lot of fast-paced, agile organizations have shifted to quarterly planning.
Regrouping 4 times a year to re-evaluate your OKRs and KPIs and decide how you’ll approach the next 3 months lends itself to adaptability and promotes greater team and company alignment.
In this blog, we’ll share how to take advantage of quarterly planning just in time for the start of your next fiscal year:
Quarterly planning is a strategic way to move towards your company’s objectives. By breaking down your annual business plans into 4 manageable increments, you can learn from the previous quarter’s performance, set realistic goals and establish OKRs and KPIs that measure your success.
Quarterly plans allow you and your team to work towards smaller targets that help achieve long-term goals. It can give you the hyperfocus you need to track short-term plans that require more hands-on oversight, all while keeping your overarching goals top-of-mind.
When done correctly, creating a plan for the quarter can help improve all areas of business growth — including notable increases in employee engagement, motivation and performance that help contribute to a sense of purpose.
Quarterly planning looks 3 months ahead, while annual planning looks a year ahead. But, you don’t need to choose one or the other. In fact, the two formats complement each other.
Consider quarterly and annual planning structures like different zoom settings on a camera. Quarterly lets you zoom in closely. To clearly capture an image that’s in the distance, you need a close-up — which is effectively what a quarterly plan helps you accomplish, by providing:
Sometimes though, when you’re too zoomed in, you can’t see the whole picture. Annual planning is the lens giving you a wide view. It focuses on goals that are broader in scope and:
Annual and quarterly planning go hand in hand. 🤝
While we know that things don’t always go according to plan, the planning process helps establish OKRs and KPIs, allowing you to focus on the most important things to move your business forward, rather than the most urgent.
Going through the planning process on a quarterly basis is beneficial for a number of reasons, including:
Many companies have shifted to quarterly planning because it facilitates more strategic resource allocation. For example, something that made complete sense in January, may not make sense anymore in July for a whole slew of reasons.
When you plan every 90 days vs. 365 days, you’re able to readjust your time and resources to better suit your current needs. Things move quickly — set your team up for success by taking it one quarter at a time.
Quarterly planning improves alignment and engagement on a number of levels. When you sit down with your team to set goals and plan for the next quarter it:
Quarterly planning is an opportunity to get buy-in and align with your team on what you’ll be working towards, and collaborate on how you’ll get there.
It’s a lot easier to track progress on quarterly goals than annual ones. By planning quarter by quarter, you can track how you’re stacking against both. This helps provide a consistent sense of progress for your team members and lets them capitalize on smaller achievements and opportunities when they come along.
Plus, if after a quarter you realize your OKRs aren’t contributing to the company’s annual goals, you can readjust your plan for the next quarter. Iteration is key in fast-growing companies!
👉 Check out this article for more on how to set and track OKRs each quarter.
Now that you know why you need quarterly planning, we’re going to walk you through you how to run your quarterly planning meeting.
Here are five key things to consider adding to your quarterly planning meeting agenda:
You can’t think about effectively planning for the next quarter without first thoroughly reviewing the lessons learned from your last quarter. It’s a chance to check in on the overall trajectory of your project and business.
This isn’t the time to fluff up wins and glaze over losses. It’s a time to get honest about where the team excelled, contrasted by where they might have fallen short. Doing so will help you readjust your metrics to better accomplish your goals next quarter.
In short, you want to continue doing what worked well and stop doing what didn’t.
Armed with a better understanding of last quarter, it’s time to go forth and brainstorm.
While it’s our general opinion that quality should be prioritized over quantity, brainstorming is an exception! In this section, you want to get as many ideas down as possible, and not be held back by time or budget. While this may lead to unrealistic ideas, that’s okay, you’ll finesse later. Get the ideas flowing and quality will follow.
If you’re having trouble getting people to contribute to the brainstorm, there are countless brainstorming techniques you can leverage to get people’s creative juices going.
Once you’ve brainstormed, chances are you have a laundry list of items you’d like your team to work on. Now, it’s time to prioritize. Narrow down your list based on impact and what’s realistic.
A helpful tool to better understand where to focus is a gap analysis. A gap analysis focuses on 3 steps:
At this stage of the meeting, you’ve already done steps 1 and 2. Now to narrow down which ideas to carry out this quarter, find the gaps between your goals and current state.
Your team could have a million good ideas. But focus on what matters to build for the future in a smart, methodical way.
An important part of the quarterly planning process is zooming out to see what else will be happening in the upcoming months that may impact your plan.
For example, is there a big launch happening on a different team? Organizational announcements? Long vacations?
Understanding resources, time constraints and company activities will help you plan. Take all this into account to avoid future frustrations. Of course, you won’t be able to foresee everything that comes up in the year, so there needs to be some flexibility. But the more you know, the more you can plan for success.
Even the best-laid plans can go haywire. Once you have a more holistic understanding of your goals, priorities and upcoming events, you can get a better pulse on potential obstacles.
Assess potential risks and build buffer time and space into your plan for events that could stop you from hitting your goals this quarter. Knowing potential blockers before they happen will help you get ahead of them and build contingency plans.
At the end of your planning meeting, ensure accountability by sharing meeting notes, assigning action items, and establishing timelines to follow throughout the next quarter.
It can be tricky knowing where to start if you haven’t created a quarterly plan before. Not to fear. We’re here to help. Try Spinach AI’s quarterly planning meeting agenda template to kickoff your quarterly planning. 👇
Next, here are some things you can do now that you've read this article:
helps managers run better
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,
hit their
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,
and share better
Performance feedback insights
, faster.