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Business Operations
Annual Company Calendar Template
By visualizing the timeline of key events such as goal-setting sessions, performance reviews, product launches, and financial reporting, you can align resources and teams, avoid bottlenecks, and stay on track with your organizational objectives. This proactive approach not only boosts productivity but also fosters a culture of preparedness and collaboration across the company.
💰 Monthly Close
Monthly close meetings are financial reviews to understand what happened the month prior. Schedule them right after your financials are closed, usually in the 1st or 2nd week of the month.
Monthly close meetings serve as critical checkpoints where financial activities from the previous month are thoroughly examined. These reviews provide a clear picture of the company’s financial health, helping to identify trends, variances, and areas that need attention. It's important to plan these meetings soon after the completion of financial reports, typically in the early part of the new month, such as the first or second week. This timing ensures that the information is fresh and relevant, allowing the team to make timely and informed decisions for future planning and strategy.
🤝 Business Reviews
Review cadence can vary widely depending on the business — typically weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
The frequency of review meetings can differ significantly based on the nature and needs of the business. Some organizations may opt for weekly check-ins to stay on top of fast-paced changes and ensure quick adjustments. Others might find that monthly reviews strike the right balance, allowing for comprehensive assessments without being too frequent. Quarterly evaluations are also common, particularly for businesses that require a broader overview and more in-depth analysis over a longer period. The chosen cadence should align with the company’s goals, operational rhythm, and the specific metrics being tracked.
🗂️ Board Meetings
Generally, Board meetings happen quarterly. It’s ideal to schedule the entire year's worth of Board meetings at the beginning of the year.
Planning quarterly board meetings at the start of the year is advantageous, ensuring a strategic focus rather than a constant cycle of updates, which can divert attention from core business priorities. Establishing a structured flow—monthly close followed by a thorough business review leading into a Board meeting, spaced apart by a week or two—can foster a streamlined decision-making process and maintain momentum throughout the year.
✅ Goals
Get realistic about how much time goal setting takes you. When does it need to be done? Then, work backward to see when you need to begin.
Achieving effective goal setting requires a realistic assessment of the time it demands. Begin by pinpointing the deadline for finalizing your goals, whether it's the start of a new fiscal year or another strategic milestone, then work backwards to determine the starting point. This backward planning approach ensures sufficient time for thorough brainstorming, collaboration, and alignment across teams. By starting early and allocating enough time for deliberation and refinement, you can set robust goals that are well-aligned with your organization's vision and priorities.
🔄 Budget and Headcount
Setting goals, deciding budget, and finalizing headcount for the next year should be one unified process.
Start with setting clear goals as they dictate the financial resources required and the necessary workforce. By beginning with well-defined objectives, you establish the foundation for accurate budget projections and determine the optimal staffing levels needed to achieve these goals effectively. This integrated approach not only fosters alignment across departments but also enhances decision-making by linking organizational priorities with resource allocation.
🥇 Performance Reviews
Your company will spend tons and tons of time on performance reviews. Be thoughtful about when you’re putting that burden on the company, especially if you choose to start them in December.
When planning performance reviews, consider the timing carefully to minimize impact on company operations, especially if starting in December. Some companies find success by aligning reviews with different quarter ends, like Q1 and Q3 instead of Q2 and Q4, to balance workload. Choose a review schedule—whether quarterly, biannually, or annually—that best suits your business's needs and culture, weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each approach.
🏖️ Beware of Vacation
When you are planning the year, be thoughtful about the heavy vacation times like July/August and December. You can still do your big processes during this time like Annual Planning or Performance Reviews.
When mapping out your annual calendar, it's crucial to take into account periods when many team members might be on vacation. Scheduling important events well ahead of time and proactively block out key individuals' calendars before they finalize their vacation plans. By doing so, you can maintain continuity in operations and ensure that important strategic processes are not disrupted by holiday schedules.
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