Book contents · Part 2, chapter 2 of 6
Quarter Commitments are three to five priorities set every 13 weeks that move the Year Map. Each has one named owner, a finish line that is either done or not done, and an on-track or off-track check at every Weekly Table. They turn a yearly plan into work people can actually finish.
- The question
- What must be true by the end of this quarter?
- How often
- Set every 13 weeks at the Quarter Day, checked weekly
- Who owns them
- One named person per commitment
- How many
- Three to five for the business; one or two per person
One quarter’s commitments
The same fictional installer, at the start of its second quarter. Each commitment moves a line of the Year Map.
| Commitment | Owner | Finish line | Moves on the Year Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price every quote from the Job Engine | Sales lead | All quotes from 1 April use the new pricing sheet | Gross margin, 28% to 31% |
| Bring debtor days down to 60 | Admin lead | Debtor days at 60 or below on 30 June | Cash |
| Put the Weekly Dials live | Operations lead | Twelve dials reported every Friday for six weeks in a row | Every target |
| Hire a site supervisor | Owner | Contract signed by 15 June | Capacity for the growth target |
Four commitments, four owners, four finish lines that are either met or not on the last day of the quarter. Nobody has to guess what “done” means.
How do you set Quarter Commitments?
- Start from the Year MapAsk what must be true by the end of this quarter for the year to stay on track.
- List everything, then cutWrite every candidate down, then keep three to five. The rest wait for next quarter or are dropped.
- Give each one a single ownerA name, never “the team”. The owner can involve others, but one person answers for it.
- Write a finish lineSomething that is clearly done or not done on the last day of the quarter. “Improve sales” is not a finish line.
- Check it every weekAt the Weekly Table each owner says on track or off track. Off track goes to the Fix List.
- Close it honestlyAt the Quarter Day each one is done or not done, with no partial credit. Unfinished ones are discussed, not quietly rolled over.
The rule, and the mistakes to avoid
- Setting ten commitments, so none get finished.
- Sharing ownership between two or three people.
- Vague finish lines that can be argued about in June.
- Commitments that have nothing to do with the Year Map.
How the Quarter Commitments connect to the rest of the framework
Fed by
- Year MapWhere are we going this year, in numbers?
- Quarter DayWhat did we learn, and what comes next?
Feeds into
- Weekly TableWhat must we decide this week?
Which pains the Quarter Commitments fix
The Part 1 chapters where the Quarter Commitments do much of the work:
Questions owners ask about the Quarter Commitments
What is a Quarter Commitment?
Quarter Commitments are three to five priorities set every 13 weeks that move the Year Map. Each has one named owner, a finish line that is either done or not done, and an on-track or off-track check at every Weekly Table. They turn a yearly plan into work people can actually finish.
How many quarterly priorities should a small business have?
Three to five for the business as a whole, and no more than one or two per person. With more than that, attention is spread so thin that few get finished.
What happens if a Quarter Commitment is not finished?
It is marked not done at the Quarter Day, and the team decides in the room whether it carries forward, is rescoped or is dropped. It never rolls over silently.
Commitments say what must be finished this quarter. The Weekly Dials say, every week, whether the business is on track.
Chapter 3: Weekly Dials →Want this built for your business?
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