annual-planning

name	annual-planning
description	Facilitates annual business planning with vision setting, goal cascading, quarterly milestones, and resource allocation for focused execution.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"Salah-XD","version":"1.0"}

Annual Planning

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create a comprehensive annual business plan with goals and milestones
• Break yearly objectives into quarterly and monthly targets
• Allocate resources (time, money, energy) across priorities
• Set a strategic direction for the coming year with measurable outcomes

DO NOT use this skill for weekly planning, project planning, or financial forecasting. This is for high-level annual strategic planning.

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Core Principle

AN ANNUAL PLAN IS NOT A WISH LIST — IT IS A RESOURCE ALLOCATION DOCUMENT THAT FORCES YOU TO SAY NO TO GOOD IDEAS SO YOU CAN SAY YES TO THE BEST ONES.

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Phase 1: Reflect

Review the past year before planning the next one.

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Last year's revenue	"What was your revenue last year?"	No default
Last year's wins	"What were your top 3 accomplishments?"	No default
Last year's misses	"What did you plan to do but didn't?"	No default
Biggest lesson	"What is the one thing you learned about your business this year?"	No default
Current team	"Who is on your team and what do they handle?"	Solopreneur
Available budget	"What is your approximate budget for growth initiatives?"	Limited

Year in Review Template

## [Previous Year] in Review

**Revenue:** $[X] ([+/-X%] vs. prior year)
**Top 3 Wins:**
1. [Win + impact]
2. [Win + impact]
3. [Win + impact]

**Top 3 Misses:**
1. [What was planned + why it didn't happen]
2. [What was planned + why it didn't happen]
3. [What was planned + why it didn't happen]

**Key Lesson:** [One sentence]

**What to keep doing:** [Activities that drove results]
**What to stop doing:** [Activities that wasted time]
**What to start doing:** [New activities for next year]

GATE: Complete the review before setting new goals.

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Phase 2: Set Goals

Define the annual vision and break it into goals.

Annual Theme

Every year gets a single theme — one word or phrase that guides every decision:

**[Year] Theme:** [e.g., "Scale," "Profit First," "Foundation Building," "Diversify"]

Goal Framework

Set 3-5 annual goals using this structure:

## [Year] Goals

### Goal 1: [Specific, Measurable Outcome]
**Metric:** [How you measure success]
**Target:** [Number or milestone]
**Why it matters:** [Connection to business vision]
**Resources needed:** [Time, money, people]

### Goal 2: [Specific, Measurable Outcome]
...

Goal Quality Check

Every goal must pass these tests:

• Specific: Can you explain it in one sentence?
• Measurable: Is there a number or clear milestone?
• Achievable: Do you have the resources to pursue it?
• Relevant: Does it connect to the annual theme?
• Time-bound: Does it have a deadline within the year?

GATE: Confirm annual goals before cascading into quarters.

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Phase 3: Quarterly Cascade

Break annual goals into quarterly milestones and monthly actions.

Quarterly Milestone Map

## Quarterly Milestones

### Q1: [Theme — e.g., "Build Foundation"]
| Goal | Q1 Milestone | Key Actions | Success Metric |
|------|-------------|-------------|---------------|
| Goal 1 | [Milestone] | [2-3 actions] | [Metric] |
| Goal 2 | [Milestone] | [2-3 actions] | [Metric] |

### Q2: [Theme — e.g., "Launch and Test"]
| Goal | Q2 Milestone | Key Actions | Success Metric |
|------|-------------|-------------|---------------|
| Goal 1 | [Milestone] | [2-3 actions] | [Metric] |

### Q3: [Theme — e.g., "Optimize"]
...

### Q4: [Theme — e.g., "Scale and Prepare"]
...

Resource Allocation

## Resource Allocation

| Resource | Total Available | Goal 1 | Goal 2 | Goal 3 | Buffer |
|----------|---------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Time (hrs/week) | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Budget | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] |
| Team capacity | [X people] | [X] | [X] | [X] | — |

Rule: Always allocate a 10-20% buffer for unexpected opportunities or emergencies.

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Phase 4: Execution System

Set up the rhythm that keeps the plan alive throughout the year.

Review Cadence

## Planning Review Rhythm

**Weekly (15 min):** Review this week's actions against monthly targets
**Monthly (30 min):** Review monthly progress against quarterly milestones
**Quarterly (2 hours):** Full quarterly review — adjust goals, reallocate resources
**Annually (half day):** Full annual review and next year planning

Quarterly Review Template

## Q[X] Review

**Goal progress:**
| Goal | Target | Actual | Status | Adjustment |
|------|--------|--------|--------|-----------|
| [Goal] | [Target] | [Actual] | On track / Behind / Ahead | [Change if needed] |

**What worked this quarter:**
**What didn't work:**
**Adjustments for next quarter:**

Annual Plan One-Pager

Distill the entire plan into a single page that can be posted visibly:

## [Year] Annual Plan — One Page

**Theme:** [Word/Phrase]
**Revenue target:** $[X]
**Top 3 Goals:**
1. [Goal + target metric]
2. [Goal + target metric]
3. [Goal + target metric]

**Q1 Focus:** [One sentence]
**Q2 Focus:** [One sentence]
**Q3 Focus:** [One sentence]
**Q4 Focus:** [One sentence]

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Anti-Patterns

• Too many goals — more than 5 annual goals means nothing gets the focus it needs. Ruthlessly prioritize.
• No quarterly milestones — annual goals without quarterly checkpoints drift until December panic.
• Planning without reviewing — skipping the year-in-review means repeating last year's mistakes.
• No resource allocation — goals without time and budget attached are fantasies, not plans.
• Set it and forget it — the plan is a living document. Quarterly reviews keep it relevant.

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Recovery

• User has never done annual planning: Start with just 2 goals and quarterly milestones. Add complexity in future years.
• Last year had no clear goals: Use revenue, customers, and personal satisfaction as proxy metrics for the review.
• User sets goals too aggressively: Apply the "50% rule" — if you achieve 50% of an aggressive plan, is that still a great year? If yes, keep it. If not, scale back.
• Mid-year and no plan exists: Do a mid-year plan. Same process, 6-month horizon. Better late than never.
• User is overwhelmed by the process: Complete it in two sessions — Session 1 for review and goals, Session 2 for quarterly cascade and execution system.