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Numbers-First Management · Part 2

The framework: six parts, one rhythm

Numbers-First Management connects a plan for the year to a meeting every week. Each part answers one question, and each one feeds the next. This is how they fit together.

Daniel Mercieca, Warranted Accountant
6 chapters · read in order or jump to a part
Book contents

How the book is organised

Part 1 · The pains11 chapters, one per problem owners raise most.
Part 2 · The framework6 chapters, one per part. You are here.
Part 3 · Putting it to workThe order to introduce the parts, and the first 13 weeks. Coming soon.

The skeleton

The Year Map sets the destination. Quarter Commitments break it into 13-week pieces. The Weekly Table tracks progress every week, fed by the Weekly Dials, which are built from the Money Engine. Every 13 weeks the Quarter Day closes the loop.

Year MapYearly ↓ broken into Quarter CommitmentsEvery 13 weeks ↓ tracked at Weekly TableWeekly · 90 min ↑ fed by Weekly DialsWeekly ↑ built from Money EngineBuilt once
Quarter DayEvery 13 weeksFit CheckComing later

How the parts connect

Each part takes something from another and hands something on. Read across to see what feeds each one and what it feeds.

PartThe question it answersHow oftenFed byFeeds into
1. Year MapWhere are we going this year, in numbers?YearlyMoney Engine, Quarter DayQuarter Commitments, Weekly Dials
2. Quarter CommitmentsWhat must be true by the end of this quarter?Every 13 weeksYear Map, Quarter DayWeekly Table
3. Weekly DialsAre we on track right now?WeeklyYear Map, Money EngineWeekly Table
4. Money EngineWhere does profit come from, and where does it leak?Built onceQuarter DayWeekly Dials, Year Map
5. Weekly TableWhat must we decide this week?Weekly · 90 minWeekly Dials, Quarter CommitmentsQuarter Day
6. Quarter DayWhat did we learn, and what comes next?Every 13 weeksWeekly Table, Year MapQuarter Commitments, Year Map, Money Engine

What does a year in the rhythm look like?

  • One Year Map, built in about half a day and updated four times.
  • Four Quarter Days, one every 13 weeks.
  • About 48 Weekly Tables of 90 minutes: roughly 72 hours of leadership time a year, most of it spent solving problems.
  • Weekly Dials reported every Friday, and the Money Engine refreshed at every Quarter Day.

The chapters

  1. Year Map

    The Year Map is a one-page yearly plan that starts from last year’s actual results and chains this year’s targets for revenue, gross margin, overheads, profit and cash.

    Fixes: Not knowing where you stand until year end, Rising costs, flat prices, Cash flow that keeps surprising you, The bank says no, No structure to run the business, Hitting a ceiling

  2. Quarter Commitments

    Quarter Commitments are three to five priorities set every 13 weeks that move the Year Map.

    Fixes: No time for sales and operations, Finding and keeping good people, No structure to run the business

  3. Weekly Dials

    Weekly Dials are ten to fifteen numbers reviewed every week, each with one owner and one target.

    Fixes: Lost in accounting and admin, No time for sales and operations, Can’t step away, Not knowing where you stand until year end, Rising costs, flat prices, Cash flow that keeps surprising you, Debtors that keep growing, The bank says no, Finding and keeping good people

  4. Money Engine

    The Money Engine is a model of how the business makes money at the level of a single sale or job.

    Fixes: Not knowing where you stand until year end, Rising costs, flat prices, Cash flow that keeps surprising you, Debtors that keep growing, The bank says no, Hitting a ceiling

  5. Weekly Table

    The Weekly Table is one fixed 90-minute leadership meeting: same day, same time, same agenda, every week.

    Fixes: Lost in accounting and admin, No time for sales and operations, Can’t step away, Debtors that keep growing, No structure to run the business

  6. Quarter Day

    The Quarter Day is one full day every 13 weeks, away from the daily work.

    Fixes: Rising costs, flat prices, No structure to run the business, Hitting a ceiling

Not sure where to start?

A free 30-minute call about where your business is and which part of the framework would make the biggest difference first. You speak to me, not a call centre.

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