The quarterly planning meeting resets the company's focus for the next ninety days. It is the most important rhythm in Scaling Up because quarters are short enough to stay urgent and long enough to make real progress. This quarterly planning meeting template is based on the Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits) model created by Verne Harnish.

When to use it

Run it once a quarter, ideally as a full day offsite away from daily interruptions. Use it to grade the quarter that is ending, refresh strategy against trends, set a single quarterly theme, and lock three to five company priorities plus individual priorities for each leader.

Who attends

The leadership team, typically five to twelve people. Going offsite signals that this day matters and protects the team from the pull of operational firefighting.

How to run it

Start by reconnecting and honestly grading the prior quarter. Move into a SWOT and trends discussion, then refresh the parts of the One-Page Strategic Plan that anchor the quarter. From there, set a rallying theme with a critical number, agree on company priorities, and have each leader define their own priorities and KPIs. Close by planning the cascade: how the theme and priorities reach every team. The day flows from reflection to strategy to commitment.

Facilitator tips

Go offsite. The change of setting changes the thinking.
Grade last quarter honestly before setting the next one.
Cap company priorities at three to five so focus is real.
Make every priority measurable with one accountable owner.

Common mistakes

Setting ten priorities, which means none of them is truly a priority.
Skipping the honest review of the quarter that just ended.
Leaving without a plan to cascade priorities to the rest of the company.
Writing vague rocks that cannot be graded green or red.

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Agenda

480 minutes total · 7 sections

Check-in and prior quarter review 60 min

Reconnect as a team and grade last quarter: which priorities were hit, which were missed, and why.
SWOT and trends 60 min

Review strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, plus market and competitor trends shaping the quarter.
One-page strategic plan refresh 60 min

Revisit the relevant rows of the One-Page Strategic Plan to ground the quarter in the longer-term direction.
Set the quarterly theme 45 min

Define a single rallying theme for the quarter with a clear critical number and a way to celebrate.
Company priorities (rocks) 90 min

Agree on three to five company priorities for the quarter. Make each measurable with a clear owner.
Individual priorities and KPIs 90 min

Each leader sets their own quarterly priorities and the KPIs they will be accountable for.
Cascade and commitments 75 min

Plan how priorities and the theme cascade to teams. Confirm communication, owners, and dates.

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Quarterly Planning Meeting Template