NOTE TO FACILITATOR:
This is the basic takeaway for an annual & quarterly planning session. You may have more, less or different objectives. The important thing is to make sure everyone starts the session with a clear idea of what you hope to accomplish.
It is also good to remind the team that it is more important to be effective than to be efficient. You may decide that it’s a better use of time to slow down and have good quality debates and conversations around critical topics than it is to complete everything on this list. But, be intentional if you do that and make sure the team understands why you are making those choices. Give yourselves permission to be flexible.
NOTE TO FACILITATOR:
There are many different ways to check in and open the meeting. The idea is to get everyone’s mind working and mouth talking. Use your own icebreaker, or use this one.
Exercise:
1. Ask everyone to think of one piece of good news, a recent victory or someone they want to brag on.
2. Give everyone a minute or two to think about and write down their answer.
3. Ask for a volunteer to go first, then go around the room, each person sharing.
LEAD ACTIVITY:
Goal:
The goal of this exercise is to reflect over the past year, gather insight into what worked well and what didn’t, what you learned during the year, and what is different today than it was a year ago. A lot of work has been done over the past year, and it’s important to celebrate the progress you have made. All that you have accomplished and improved this year creates a foundation for planning that is stronger, smarter, and steps ahead of the foundation you had to plan from last year.
There are 3 ways to lead this exercise.
Open Rhythm and discuss the bullet points below about the year that is ending for the company.
Include screenshots from Rhythm in this deck to review the bullet points below about the quarter that is ending for the company. (You can insert a slide with screenshots immediately following this slide if this is how you choose to lead the activity.)
List your company priorities from the quarter that is ending on flip chart paper and use the bullet points below for the discussion.
Steps
Review your Previous Year’s Plan and Results
* Discuss what was successful, which were not?
* Did we meet company goals?
* Did we meet our departmental goals?
Brainstorm Bright Spots and Victories during the year
Consider the company as a whole
Consider your department
Consider great additions to the team
Consider tough issues you have resolved
Consider new clients or products you’ve added or old ones you saved
Discuss what you learned from your victories and failures - lessons to take forward into the new year
Link to Parking Lot in Rhythm® 4: https://rhythm.cloud/#/wklymtg/parking
(Link to Parking Lot in Rhythm® 3: https://rhythm.rhythmsystems.com/#ParkingLotPlace:;tab=5)
Review the Parking Lot items added during the previous quarter.
Do any require further discussion?
Could any end up being a Team or Individual Priority?
There is no right or wrong way to do this. The real value is in the reflection and conversation about the year. It helps to establish some context for the new year you are planning for.
NOTE TO FACILITATOR:
The purpose of this exercise is to:
Get people thinking about the next year before coming to the planning session
Identify the topics and ideas that are top of mind
Allow everyone the opportunity to express an idea or bring up a subject in the session
* There are two ways to facilitate this exercise: using the Rhythm screens or using the printed tool. Decide which way will work best for your team and send out instructions at least a week before the planning date. Everyone should come to the meeting prepared to share their SSKs with the team. There will be many SSKs suggested. It’s important to listen to all of them.
LEAD ACTIVITY USING THE RHYTHM SCREENS:
****Link to Start-Stop-Keep screens in Rhythm 3: https://rhythm.rhythmsystems.com/#PlanningPrepPlace:;seg=0;type=ANNUAL;tab=4
**Link to Ideas screens in Rhythm 4: https://rhythm.cloud/#/anngrpplan/meeting/ideas
Prior to the session: Each person should enter up to 3 Start, 3 Stop and 3 Keep ideas into the Rhythm screens under Annual Planning.
If a person sees that someone else has already entered the same idea that they wanted to share, they can hit the Agree button instead of entering the same idea twice. This will still count as one of their 3.
During the session: Use the filter tool to display each person’s ideas, one person at a time. Ask that person to share all their SSKs and then specify which 2-3 (out of the possible 9) they think could be most important this quarter.
After each person has shared, ask the team to enter a total of 3 votes into Rhythm next to the ideas (Starts, Stops and Keeps) that they think could be most important to address this quarter.
Allow time for the team to discuss the ideas that have the most votes.
Be sure to circle back around to this when you begin to select the Top 3-5 Company, Team and Individual Priorities as some of the SSK ideas may become priorities.
If there are SSK ideas that should be acted on, but aren’t priorities, they could be entered as Action Items, as long as they will not distract the team or divert energy from the true priorities.
LEAD ACTIVITY USING THE PRINTED TOOL:
Individual Sharing: Ask each person to share all their SSKs and then specify which 2-3 (out of the possible 9) they think could be most important this quarter.
Write each person’s top 2-3 SSKs on a flip chart and highlight or add checkmarks to the ones that are mentioned multiple times.
Team Voting: The facilitator should number the items on the combined list and ask each person in the team to identify their top 3 votes for the ideas (Starts, Stops and Keeps) that they think could be most important to address this quarter.
Allow time for the team to discuss the ideas that have the most votes.
Be sure to circle back around to this when you begin to select the Top 3-5 Company, Team and Individual Priorities as some of the SSK ideas may become priorities.
If there are SSK ideas that should be acted on, but aren’t priorities, they could be entered as Action Items, as long as they will not distract the team or divert energy from the true priorities.
LEAD ACTIVITY:
This activity can be done using flipchart paper or using the Rhythm screens in Annual Planning
***Link to the Opportunities and Threats screens in Rhythm: https://rhythm.rhythmsystems.com/#PlanningPrepPlace:;seg=0;type=ANNUAL;tab=4
**Link to Ideas screens in Rhythm 4: https://rhythm.cloud/#/anngrpplan/meeting/ideas
Allow 5-10 minutes for each team member think independently of any opportunities or threats that haven’t already come out of the SSK exercise and either write these out on a piece of paper or enter them in the Rhythm screens in Annual Planning.
Have each person share with the team and record them on a flip chart or view them in Rhythm. Put a check mark next to any that are mentioned multiple times or mark Agree if you are using the Rhythm screens. As the facilitator, you may see ideas that are duplicates. You can use the Agree button and delete duplications to consolidate ideas.
Each team member gets 3 votes as to which they think could have the biggest impact on this year.
Look for patterns in the voting to get a sense of what’s most important to the team.
Keep ideas posted on the wall or refer back to the screens during the session as you discuss potential priorities for the year and quarter.
NOTE TO FACILITATOR:
Open Rhythm to review your Company’s Targets, Main Thing (Theme) Critical Numbers for the year
OR take a screen shot of the Company’s plan in Rhythm and include it in this slide
LEAD ACTIVITY:
Review your Company’s Main Thing (Theme) for the year.
Discuss and review your Company’s Targets & Critical Numbers for the year
Consider these as you determine your priorities for your department for the year and the new quarter
LEAD DISCUSSION
What are the top 3-5 Annual Initiatives that the company has determined must be accomplished in the upcoming year?
How do these relate to your department?
What contributions can your team make to the company’s plan for the year?
NOTE TO FACILITATOR:
It is important that you link this conversation to the Company’s Plan for the year. Your Team’s plan for the year must first and foremost support the company plan.
LEAD DISCUSSION:
Get your team talking about what a successful year will look like for your team. You can do the Destination Postcard exercise that you did in the Company planning session (worksheet available for download in the Company Annual Planning section on Rhythm 3 University: http://university.rhythmsystems.com/index.php/annual-planning-session OR Rhythm 4 University: https://www.rhythmuniversity.cloud/plan/annual-planning-session), or use these questions to prompt the discussion:
How will we measure success in our Team this year?
What areas of our performance would we like to improve?
What does the company need most from us this year?
Pick one or two measurable Targets that you will use to measure success this year.
Discuss how the Company’s Main Thing and Critical Numbers for the year can be supported by your department.
NOTE TO FACILITATOR:
We recommend 3-5 Annual Initiatives at the Company Level, but at the Team level, it is likely that you will have fewer Annual Initiatives that will span the whole year. Much of what you will accomplish this year will be identified in your Quarterly Plans.
LEAD DISCUSSION
What Company Annual Initiatives will your Team OWN?
Any other Annual Initiatives that your team must successfully complete in order to reach your targets?
Any other Improvement initiatives your team might add?
LEAD Activity:
Now that you have identified your Team’s Top 3-5 Annual Initiatives for the Year, you need to take the following steps to make sure there is complete alignment around the scope and intent of the initiative. (You can download the 4 Quarter Annual Plan Tool for Teams in Rhythm University: http://www.rhythmsystems.com/hs-fs/hub/116436/file-1480521174-pdf/Rhythm_Systems_PDFs/Annual_Plan_-_4_Quarters_Flyover_Tool.pdf)
Step 1: Assign an owner to each Annual Initiative. Only one owner per Initiative.
Step 2: Discuss, debate and agree on the correct Red-Yellow-Green success criteria for each Annual Initiative.
Step 3: Think through the major milestones for each of the Annual Initiatives:
What is the correct sequence for each of these milestones?
Estimate how long each milestone should take and determine which quarter each milestone is likely to fall in.
Are there any milestones for one Initiative that are dependent on the completion of a milestone in another initiative?
Are there any Annual Initiatives that must be completed by a certain quarter?
Plug the milestones for each Annual Initiative in the quarter you believe they are likely to be completed in.
Completing this step will make it much easier to identify the first quarter’s Team Priorities and Individual Priorities. You can revisit this worksheet each quarter and make adjustments as you learn more and move through the year. Don’t spend too much time trying to fine tune the details of the quarters beyond the very next quarter. The other quarters are just placeholders until you move into planning for that quarter. You should make sure that someone on the team takes ownership for completing the items in the first quarter’s box, either as a Quarterly Team Priority, an Individual Priority, or an Action Item, depending on the size and scope of the item.
NOTE TO FACITLITATOR:
Grab a screen capture from the Rhythm side panel screen for the Theme for the Quarter.
(Use Alt + PrtScr on Windows or ctrl + cmd + shift + 4 on a Mac)
NOTE TO FACITLITATOR:
Grab a screen capture from the EnergyMap® screen for the Company Priorities for this quarter or of the Team Leader’s Individual Priorities for this quarter.
(Use Alt + PrtScr on Windows or ctrl + cmd + shift + 4 on a Mac)
NOTES TO FACILITATOR:
Add the Daily Question identified during the Company Quarterly Planning Session to this slide.
Share it with the team
If it was recorded in Rhythm® during the Company Quarterly Planning Session, you can find it here in the Main Thing (Theme) box on the Quarter Focus page:
In Rhythm 4: https://rhythm.cloud/#/qtrplan/focus
In Rhythm 3: https://rhythm.rhythmsystems.com/#QuarterPlanPlace:;tab=5;seg=1
NOTE TO FACITLITATOR:
Rhythm 4 Link: https://rhythm.cloud/#/qtrplan/focus
Rhythm 3 Link: https://rhythm.rhythmsystems.com/#CompanyKpiPlace:;seg=1;tab=5
Ask: Do we have the right list of KPIs in Rhythm®?
Are we talking about the right things at our weekly meetings?
If your team has Composite KPIs, discuss accuracy, consistency, and timing for updating the data. Make sure everyone knows where the data should come from, what format to use for reporting, and when to have their KPIs updated.
Ask: Do we need to delete any KPIs?
- Do will still find all of them helpful and worth keeping? (Tip: If it does not prompt an action when it goes Yellow/Red or provide a needed insight, delete it.)
Delete any KPI that is no longer needed. (Note: This does not delete the KPI in historical quarters. It only removes it from the current quarter.)
Ask: Do we need to add any KPIs?
Did we have any blindspots in the previous quarter?
Is there a specific problem we need to solve? (revenue, retention, etc.)
Do we have a good mix of leading and lagging indicators?
Leading indicators GUIDE you. They give you a glimpse into the future and help you see where you need to make adjustments.
Lagging indicators REPORT the results. They let you know where you ended up. They are driven by your leading indicators
Ask: What will we consider success (Green) and failure (Red) for each KPI?
What is the stretch goal for each (SuperGreen)?
How will we gather the data for each KPI?
Will the Red-Yellow-Green® Success Criteria be a weekly, monthly or quarterly number?
Blog for reference: http://www.rhythmsystems.com/blog/bid/157381/KPIs-We-Know-WHAT-to-Measure-Now-HOW-Do-We-Measure-It
Grab a screen capture from the Rhythm® KPI dashboard screen for your Team from the previous quarter.
(Use Alt + PrtScr on Windows or ctrl + cmd + shift + 4 on a Mac)
LEAD DISCUSSION:
Discuss, Debate, and Agree as a team
Rhythm 4 Link: https://rhythm.cloud/#/qtrplan/priorities
Rhythm® 3 Link: https://rhythm.rhythmsystems.com/#PrioritiesEnergyMapPl:;tab=5
*** If any of the Team Leader’s Individual Priorities need to become Team Priorities, convert them by opening the priority, clicking “More” and “Convert to Team Priority”
*** Be sure to add a Team Priority entitled “Operational Priorities”
Ask: What are the top 3-5 things we need to focus on in the next 90 days to support our Main Thing this quarter?
You may have already identified one priority when you determined the company’s Main Thing for the company.
You may identify 2-3 additional Priorities (Rocks) that support or are related to the company’s priorities or the team leader’s individual priorities
You may also have 1-2 Operational Priorities not related to the Main Thing or company’s priorities
Review Top SSK items and opportunities & threats discussed in the session.
Look at your Parking Lot in Rhythm® to see any other ideas that came up during the quarter.
Look at your calendar; what commitments have you already made for this quarter?
The right combination will be unique for your team.
Fewer priorities is better..... definitely no more than 5.
State your priorities with a verb using SMART criteria:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
NOTE TO FACILITATOR:
Take a few minutes to review the Red-Yellow-Green® criteria for each Priority. Is it reasonable? Is it a true measure of success?
Green = Success
Yellow = Between Red & Green
Red = Failure (something bad happens)
SuperGreen = Stretch Goal
Red-Yellow-Greening® your priorities should make them SMART (Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic & Timely).
For help setting Red-Yellow-Green® success criteria, refer to Rhythm® University: http://university.rhythmsystems.com/index.php/success-criteria
Rhythm® 4 Link: https://rhythm.cloud/#/qtrplan/priorities/race
Rhythm® 3 Link: https://rhythm.rhythmsystems.com/#IndPriorityTablePlace:;type=USER;tab=5
Users: Record your Individual priorities with Red-Yellow-Green® Success Criteria in Rhythm® and link to related Team Priorities and KPIs
LEAD ACTIVITY:
Steps:
Allow 15-20 minutes for everyone to work independently on their top priorities.
Note which Team Priority and/or KPI your Individual Priorities are linked to.
Each person should have a combination of 2-3 Individual Priorities that are directly linked to Team Priorities.
Each person may also have 1-2 Individual Priorities that are linked to their Operational responsibilities, and not necessarily linked to a Team Priority.
Go around the room and let each person share what they have written down.
It is important for the team to listen carefully to each person and speak up if they believe they have missed something or have identified something that may not need to be done this quarter, or if they have too much on their plate.
This is where the team becomes most fully aligned.
LEAD DISCUSSION:
Ask: Does our plan pass all 3 tests?
Tip: If you have been recording your plan in Rhythm® as you go, it will be easier to see this at a glance.
If your plan does not pass one of these tests, discuss as a team to fix it. This may require some homework or a revisit at your next weekly meeting.
LEAD DISCUSSION:
In the Company Planning Session, the team should have set a date for Teams to get together to share Plans across departments.
** Add the date and meeting details to this slide.
LEAD ACTIVITY:
Before you leave, wrap up your session by asking everyone to share how they’re feeling about the work you’ve done one phrase.