Quarterly OKR Planning Process
A six-step process that takes your team from last quarter's scores to this quarter's weekly priorities — in one focused day.
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The Six-Step Process
Done in sequence, these six steps take a team from the end of one quarter to a fully planned next quarter — with weekly priorities ready for day one.
Score last quarter (30 min)
Before planning the next quarter, close the previous one. Each key result owner scores their KR on a 0.0–1.0 scale before the session. 0.7 is the target — not 1.0. Aggregate scores feed directly into what to continue, adjust, or drop.
Tip: Do this async, before the kickoff meeting. Arriving with pre-scored OKRs saves 30–45 minutes in the session.
Set company objectives (45 min)
Leadership drafts 2–3 company-level objectives based on strategy, learnings from last quarter, and market context. These are directional and qualitative — they answer 'where are we going this quarter?' not 'how will we measure it?'.
Tip: Draft objectives before the kickoff meeting and share them in advance so teams can prepare their key results.
Teams write key results (60 min)
Each team writes 2–4 measurable key results for the objectives they own. Key results are outcomes, not tasks — 'Increase NPS from 32 to 50', not 'Send NPS survey'. Teams should feel ownership of their KRs, not just compliance.
Tip: Use the planning test: for each KR, ask 'What would we work on in week 1?' If nobody can answer, the KR is too vague.
Alignment and negotiation (45 min)
Present OKRs across teams. Surface dependencies, overlaps, and gaps. This is where cross-functional alignment actually happens — not in an all-hands where OKRs are presented as done. Adjust targets based on capacity and strategic priority.
Tip: Use a shared document or OKR tool so everyone can see all teams' OKRs side by side during the discussion.
Decompose into monthly milestones (60 min)
For each key result, define what 30%, 60%, and 90% progress looks like at the end of each month. This decomposition surfaces whether the path to the target is actually understood — and often reveals planning gaps before the quarter starts.
Tip: Add initiatives under each Key Result to define the concrete work. What used to take a 2-hour workshop can be done in 20 minutes.
Define week 1 priorities (30 min)
The last step is the most important one most teams skip: what does each team work on in week 1? Writing this down before the quarter starts means Monday morning begins with clarity, not confusion.
Tip: If you can't define week 1 priorities for an OKR, you haven't finished planning it.
How Loach Supports Quarterly Planning
Purpose-built for the planning layer most teams skip.
Loach guides you through decomposing each OKR into monthly milestones and weekly focus areas — cutting the planning session from half a day to under two hours.
After decomposition, Loach pre-populates week 1 priorities for every team member. The first Monday of the quarter starts with clarity rather than a blank page.
All teams' OKRs are visible in one place during alignment. Dependencies and overlaps are easy to spot before the quarter starts, not after.
Once OKRs and decomposition are set, Loach schedules weekly check-ins automatically. The planning work done in the kickoff drives the entire quarter's execution rhythm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Run Your Next Quarterly Planning in Half the Time
Initiative tracking takes your OKRs from quarterly goals to weekly priorities in under two hours. Free for up to 5 users.
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