Book contents · Part 2, chapter 6 of 6
The Quarter Day is one full day every 13 weeks, away from the daily work. The team reviews the quarter’s results against the Year Map, marks each Quarter Commitment done or not done, solves the big issues that do not fit into 90 minutes, sets the next three to five commitments, and updates the Year Map. Prices, the Money Engine and the Weekly Dials are reviewed here too.
- The question
- What did we learn, and what comes next?
- How often
- Every 13 weeks, four times a year
- How long
- One full day, ideally away from the office
- Who attends
- The Weekly Table team
A Quarter Day, block by block
A suggested running order for one day.
| Block | Time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Results | 09:00 to 10:00 | The quarter’s management accounts against the Year Map: revenue, margin, overheads, profit and cash. |
| Commitments | 10:00 to 10:45 | Each Quarter Commitment: done or not done, and what was learned. |
| Money Engine and prices | 10:45 to 12:00 | Which jobs, products and customers earned the margin, and whether prices need to move. |
| Big issues | 13:00 to 15:00 | The issues parked during the quarter, solved one at a time. |
| The next 13 weeks | 15:00 to 16:30 | Three to five new commitments with owners and finish lines; the Weekly Dials reviewed. |
| Update the Year Map | 16:30 to 17:00 | Targets and the cash line updated for the rest of the year. |
By five o’clock the team leaves with the same picture of the last quarter, the same three to five priorities for the next one, and an updated plan for the year.
How do you run a Quarter Day?
- Close the quarter’s numbers firstManagement accounts for the quarter, ready within two weeks of quarter end.
- Prepare the commitmentsEach owner brings a short note: done or not done, and what they learned.
- Collect the big issuesEverything parked at the Weekly Table during the quarter goes on one list.
- Leave the officeA different room, phones away. The point is to step back from the daily work.
- Decide, don’t reportMost of the day is spent solving issues and choosing the next commitments, not presenting.
- Share the outcome within a weekThe new commitments and any changes to the plan go to the wider team.
The rule, and the mistakes to avoid
- Holding it in the office, with phones on and interruptions.
- Spending the whole day on presentations and reporting.
- Setting too many new commitments.
- Not updating the Year Map, so the plan drifts away from reality.
How the Quarter Day connects to the rest of the framework
Fed by
- Weekly TableWhat must we decide this week?
- Year MapWhere are we going this year, in numbers?
Feeds into
- Quarter CommitmentsWhat must be true by the end of this quarter?
- Year MapWhere are we going this year, in numbers?
- Money EngineWhere does profit come from, and where does it leak?
Which pains the Quarter Day fixes
The Part 1 chapters where the Quarter Day does much of the work:
Questions owners ask about the Quarter Day
What is a Quarter Day?
The Quarter Day is one full day every 13 weeks, away from the daily work. The team reviews the quarter’s results against the Year Map, marks each Quarter Commitment done or not done, solves the big issues that do not fit into 90 minutes, sets the next three to five commitments, and updates the Year Map. Prices, the Money Engine and the Weekly Dials are reviewed here too.
How do you run a quarterly business review in a small business?
Close the quarter’s numbers first, then spend one day away from the office reviewing results against the plan, closing the quarter’s priorities, solving the big issues, setting the next three to five priorities and updating the annual plan.
How often should a small business review its plan?
Every 13 weeks. A quarter is long enough to finish something real and short enough to correct course before the year is gone.
Those are the six parts of the framework. Part 3 of the book, coming next, covers putting them to work: the order to introduce them and what the first 13 weeks look like.
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