Plan, Do, Review – Quarterly Planning for Business Success

Stop Treading Water – It’s Time to Make Real Progress

Have you ever reached the end of a quarter and wondered, what did I actually achieve? You’re not alone. Many business owners spend their days firefighting, handling urgent tasks, but never truly making progress on the things that matter.

It’s time to break free from this cycle. If you want to grow your business, you need a plan that focuses on the right priorities, executed consistently, and reviewed regularly. This is the Plan, Do, Review process - and it’s the key to making real, measurable progress in your business.

The Never-Ending Process – Plan, Do, Review and Repeat

The Plan, Do, Review framework is a continuous cycle that doesn’t just end after one quarter. Like Kaizen in operational excellence, the process is ongoing. There’s always room to improve, refine, and adjust. This means starting with a Review - assessing where your business currently stands, what’s working, and what’s not.

You can think of this as the AS IS phase, where you ask:

• Where are we now?

• What are our current results?

• What resources do we have?

Only once you have a clear understanding of your current position can you plan for the future. This is followed by the TO BE - where you want to go. Once you've defined that, the final step is the PLAN to get you from where you are now to where you want to be.

Blinding Flash of the Obvious (BFO) 💡: You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Review your results regularly to track progress and make adjustments.

The Big Rocks – Focusing on What Really Matters

Let’s face it, many business owners get lost in the day-to-day. You may find yourself busy, but are you busy doing the right things? In quarterly planning, we talk about focusing on your big rocks - the most important priorities that will have the biggest impact on your business.

Ask yourself:

• What are the two most important goals I need to achieve for my business in the next 90 days?

• What personal goal will help me grow or improve as a leader?

By narrowing your focus to just a couple of big rocks, you avoid spreading yourself too thin. This focused approach forces you to prioritise the actions that will move the needle, rather than getting bogged down in trivial tasks.

BFO 💡: If everything is a priority, nothing is. Identify your two big rocks and commit to achieving them.

Setting SMART Goals – Think Big but Stay Realistic

While it’s essential to think big, it’s equally important to set SMART goals:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Achievable

• Realistic

• Time-bound

Your big rocks should challenge you, but they also need to be realistic and achievable. Too often, people set vague goals like “do a little better” or “maintain the status quo.” This isn’t enough to drive real growth.

Instead, think about leverage - magnifying your results by focusing on the inputs. For instance, if you want to increase sales, break it down. What inputs affect sales? It could be the number of leads, your conversion rate, or the average order value. By working on the inputs, you can significantly improve the outputs.

Example:

• Big Rock: Increase sales by 10% by 16 Dec 24 (note the goal is Specific and Time-bound)

• Inputs to focus on: Improve lead generation, refine the sales process, and increase the average sale value.

Each of these inputs will then need a more detailed action plan to focus the right people on specific, measurable activities in the coming weeks.

BFO 💡: Leverage is the key to growth. Work on improving the inputs, and you’ll see amplified results on the outputs.

BFO 💡: Set Key Dates for Growth. When will your sales and profits be double what they are today? When will you Sell your Business?

Time-Blocking – How to Make Time for What’s Important

Once you’ve identified your big rocks and set SMART goals, the next challenge is making time to work on them. This is where time-blocking comes in. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind and neglect the important but not urgent tasks.

Create a default diary for the quarter, month, and week, where you block out time specifically for your big rocks. The idea is to allocate time in your schedule for working on these critical goals before the distractions of daily tasks take over.

If you’re someone who isn’t naturally inclined to plan, start simple:

• Block just 30-60 minutes a day for your big rocks. Or block 2 hours or an afternoon instead.

• Review how you’re spending your time each week and ask: What am I spending too much time on that isn’t moving me towards my goals?

BFO 💡: What gets scheduled gets done. Use time-blocking to ensure you’re spending enough time on the activities that drive your business forward.

BFO 💡: The Review will raise your awareness and keep you on track. We all need accountability - especially for things we don’t prioritise.

What Will You Stop Doing?

An often overlooked part of planning is identifying what you will stop doing. We all have tasks, habits, or processes that don’t add value but continue to take up our time and energy.

Ask yourself:

• What are the activities in my business that are no longer delivering results?

• Are there things I’m doing out of habit, rather than because they’re effective?

Just as important as deciding what to focus on is deciding what to eliminate. By stopping low-value activities, you free up time and energy to focus on your big rocks.

Example:
If you’ve been spending hours each week managing a social media platform that’s not delivering results, it might be time to stop and invest that time elsewhere. If your blog posts or articles aren’t getting traction you might want to prioritise learning about copywriting this quarter?

BFO 💡: Sometimes the best strategy is subtraction, not addition. Free up your time by eliminating tasks that don’t add value.

The Review Phase – Learning and Adjusting

Every quarter should end with a review - a chance to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what you need to adjust for the future. This step is critical, as it ensures that you’re constantly learning and improving. And don’t forget to celebrate and reward success!

Weekly Check-ins
At the end of each week, ask yourself:

• Did I make progress on my big rocks?

• What went well, and where did I fall short?

• What adjustments do I need to make for next week?

Quarterly Reflection
At the end of each quarter, conduct a more thorough review. Look at your business results and ask:

• Did I achieve my big rocks?

• What were my biggest lessons?

• What changes do I need to make for the next quarter?

This reflective process helps you make course corrections and ensures you’re continually moving in the right direction. You should do this outside of your weekly coaching session and send your self-assessment/review to your coach once completed if you are working with a coach.

BFO 💡: The Review phase is just as important as the Plan and Do phases. Without regular review, you risk drifting off course.

BFO 💡: The Review phase is where you get the breakthroughs. You’ll get new ideas and insights when you review and reflect on your results.

Rising Above – The Leader’s Role

As a business owner or leader, your role is to rise above the daily grind and look at the bigger picture. Stephen Covey’s famous metaphors comes to mind: don’t climb the ladder of success only to find it’s leaning against the wrong wall. And don’t manage teams to cut a path through the wrong jungle.

Your job is to set the vision and ensure your business is heading in the right direction. That means taking time to step back, reflect, and review - not just getting caught up in the day-to-day.

Ask yourself:

• Am I spending enough time working on my business, not just in it?

• Am I stepping back often enough to see the bigger picture?

• If my business could speak, what would it be telling me?

• Would a third-party observer see something I can’t that will help me and my team get their faster?

Ready to Plan for Success?

If you’re tired of feeling like you’re running in circles and want to make real progress in your business, it’s time to adopt the Plan, Do, Review framework. Focus on your big rocks, use leverage to magnify your results, and commit to continuous review and improvement.

Start Your Quarterly Planning with Me

Don’t wait - start planning for your next quarter today. Join my next group quarterly planning session to identify your big rocks and set yourself up for success. For larger businesses looking for more in-depth support, book an alignment and strategy session with me to take your business to the next level. Your time is your most precious resource. Don’t spend a lifetime what you could have achieved in 7 years.