Planning Library · Rhythm pillar
The operating calendar.
Three nested calendars — monthly, quarterly, annual — that turn every other doc in this library into an actual cadence. Adapted from Highland's Northstar OS. Most of it is staged for Phase C; what's live today is called out below.
Live Partial Staged
M1–12 · Monthly
Designing the month.
Four-week rhythm. Financial close early, leadership meetings on the even weeks, weekly updates every Friday.
W1
- ·Financial close
- ·1:1s
- ·Weekly update
W2
- ·Leadership mtg
- ·Weekly update
W3
- ·1:1s
- ·Weekly update
W4
- ·Leadership mtg
- ·Weekly update
| Element | Definition | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 meetings | Every other week per report. Dashboard-driven. | Staged | /onetoones |
| Monthly financial close | Books closed & tracker updated within 1 week of EoM. | Partial | /financials |
| Leadership meeting | 2nd & 4th week of month — top goals review. | Staged | /governance |
| Weekly dashboard update | All dashboards refreshed every Friday. | Partial | /dashboard |
| Weekly team update | Founder update email/Slack to full team. | Staged | /support |
Q1–4 · Quarterly
Designing the quarter.
Every quarter closes on the same beat: financial close → leadership close → QBR → all-hands → board meeting → community update.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Q1
- Close
- Leadership close
- QBR
- All-hands
- Board mtg
- Community update
Q2
- Close
- Leadership close
- QBR
- All-hands
- Board mtg
- Community update
Q3
- Close
- Leadership close
- QBR
- All-hands
- Board mtg
- Community update
Q4
- Close
- Leadership close
- QBR
- All-hands
- Board mtg
- Community update
| Element | Definition | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterly financial close | Close books, update dashboards, variance vs. plan. | Partial | /financials |
| Leadership close | Leadership team reviews the quarter before QBR. | Staged | /governance |
| Quarterly Business Review | Single-page narrative: Northstar + financials + WhyGos. | Live | /qbr |
| All-hands | Entire team meeting; quarter results. | Staged | /support |
| Board meeting | Quarterly BOD meeting on the operating cadence. | Live | /governance |
| Community / donor update | Quarterly email to Founder's Table + supporters. | Partial | /support |
Y1 · Annual
Designing the year.
One full planning cycle a year, anchored by two off-sites — mid-year to draft next year, year-end to finalize it.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
- →Jan — Board approves plan · Northstar updated · Company kick-off
- →Feb — Individual goals finalized
- →Mar — Bonus payout & salary adjustments (Phase C)
- →Jun — Mid-year leadership off-site · Draft next year's goals
- →Sept — Inputs to financial plan
- →Oct — Draft financial plan
- →Nov — Year-end off-site · Finalize next year's goals
- →Dec — Team goals finalized · Board approves next year's plan
| Element | Definition | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Next year's top-3 goals | Company WhyGos drafted mid-year, finalized Q4. | Live | /northstar |
| Hiring plan | Roles + timing for the following year. | Staged | /actionplan |
| Sales / marketing plan | Awareness, list growth, program calendar. | Partial | /support |
| Financial model | Full forecast for next year + scenarios. | Live | /financials |
| Team goals | Top-3 goals per team (Phase C). | Staged | — |
| Board-approved plan | BOD approves financial plan before Jan 1. | Partial | /governance |
| Northstar refresh | Operating system refreshed annually. | Live | /northstar |
| Company kick-off | Annual meeting with everyone at the org. | Staged | — |
| Individual goals | Top-3 goals per person (Phase C). | Staged | /dashboard/individual |
| Dashboards | Mechanism to track goals & health year-round. | Live | /dashboard |
Live for Groundworks today
The solo-founder version of the calendar.
- 🟢Monthly — board-chair 1:1 · financial tracker update · weekly dashboard refresh.
- 🟢Quarterly — QBR · board meeting · community update to Founder's Table.
- 🟢Annual — Northstar refresh · next-year financial model · board-approved plan.
- ⚪Staged — leadership mtgs, staff 1:1s, all-hands, individual goals, kick-off, off-sites. Activate on first hire (Phase C).