Have you ever walked into the office, or logged in to your remote working day, and found that the project you were working on was interrupted by a new, drop-everything, super important, emerging project? “If it was so important, it should’ve been planned for correctly” – you think to yourself. On top of the everyday tasks and run-the-business work that you and your team must do, the additional incoming work puts you right at overcapacity.

Our client in the financial services industry recently experienced that —a high-level of interruptions, unpredictability, and overworking using project management and waterfall planning. Specifically, their unique circumstance, with shifts in the market and a switch in the board of directors executives due to an acquisition, created a chaotic and constantly changing environment.

But in reality, this can be anyone.

There Must Be a Better Way

While waterfall planning offers structure and consistency by delivering work in well-defined phases, it often struggles to keep up with today's fast-paced, ever-changing business environments. Rigid project phases can lead to inefficiencies, as impediments are not addressed as quickly, making it harder for teams to adapt swiftly. In contrast, quarterly planning provides the flexibility to pivot and respond to new challenges as they arise—making it a more effective approach for modern teams.

Quarterly planning involves planning the business initiatives for the quarter. Some examples of using quarterly planning can involve planning the features of a digital product, organizing a marketing campaign, or planning the “grow-the-business” initiatives for the quarter.

How Does Quarterly Planning Work?

Quarterly planning streamlines how businesses prioritize and execute their key initiatives.  

The process first begins with documenting ideas on an intake canvas, where problems, solutions, success measures, deliverables, estimated effort, estimated dollar value based on business objectives, and risks are clearly outlined. These ideas can be created cross-functionally, to ensure that impacts on resources are outlined in the intake. These ideas are then shared with leadership peers to ensure work alignment, added to a backlog, and strategically scheduled by the C-suite for the next quarter.  

This approach not only keeps organizations aligned with C-suite objectives but also provides a flexible framework to quickly adapt to changing business needs, ensuring the most valuable work is always front and center.

Management Alignment: What Keeps These Quarterly Plans on Track?

After quarterly planning sets the stage, ongoing oversight is essential to keep everything on track. A monthly review provides a regular check-in for senior VPs to ensure alignment and progress on the quarterly plan.

During these sessions, senior VP members:

• Review the progress of the current quarterly plan
• Introduce and evaluate new work to add to the backlog
• Discuss and reprioritize tasks as needed

This ongoing review process:

• Ensures resources are allocated effectively
• Allows for quick adjustments to the plan as business needs change
• Strengthens the intake process by confirming that new work is well-defined, assessed for value, and fully supported by leadership

By maintaining flexibility and focus, the monthly review keeps the quarterly plan adaptable and aligned with company goals.

Leadership Alignment: A Crucial Monthly Touchpoint

Once the quarterly plan is in motion, maintaining alignment and flexibility is key.

To ensure this, senior VP members are to provide updates on their current progress of their quarterly plan work packages monthly and raise any impediments to the plan to the C-Suite. The C-Suite can dedicate time in their monthly meetings to:  

• review progress
• address any obstacles
• discuss emerging priorities

Depending on the month of the quarter, the objectives are different month-by-month:

• Month 1: Review progress on previous quarter plan & accept senior VP recommended upcoming quarterly plan
• Month 2: Review progress against deliverables in current quarterly plan
• Month 3: Review progress against deliverables in current quarterly plan. Review, validate, and accept priority of backlog initiatives in preparation for quarterly planning

This ongoing review process allows leadership to stay informed on how initiatives are advancing and make any necessary adjustments to keep the organization on course.

By fostering a continuous feedback loop between the C-Suite and the senior VP team, these check-ins ensure that the quarterly plan stays agile and responsive to shifting business needs while remaining aligned with long-term strategic goals.

What next?

Many organizations struggle with a rigid playbook centred around waterfall planning that stifles agility, leading to disruptive interruptions and slow progress. We have helped our clients in reimagining their workflows, making them more efficient and adaptable. This shift not only enhances their ability to deliver value more frequently but also helps to manage work expectations effectively.  

Say goodbye to the chaos of unexpected tasks and overwhelming workloads!

Ready to transform your playbook and embrace a more agile approach?  

Get in touch with us and discover how you can revolutionize your workflow.