Say it like this
- We need to lock in our quarterly planning by end of week.
- The quarterly planning meeting revealed we were over capacity.
- During quarterly planning, we always reassess our technical debt.
Use it at work
Preparing
- Quarterly planning starts next week. Please update your estimates.
- What should our team bring to quarterly planning?
In the meeting
- Let's agree on the top three goals for the quarter.
- We can't fit everything. What do we cut?
Afterward
- Here's the plan from quarterly planning.
- Quarterly planning gave us two big projects.
Don't say this
Quarterly planning is a noun, not a verb. Use the verb form conduct or complete with it.
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Your manager asks when the next round of planning happens. How do you respond?
2. During _______, we decided to pause new feature development and focus on performance optimization.
3. Which sentence uses quarterly planning incorrectly?
4. Rewrite this in natural tech English using quarterly planning: Every three months, we get together and decide what we will build, fix, and improve, and then we tell everyone what we committed to.
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"We need to lock in our quarterly planning by end of week."
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More about quarterly planning
Real examples(3)
- in a standup
"The team lead mentioned that quarterly planning revealed we should prioritize API stability over new features this quarter."
- in a meeting with leadership
"Based on our quarterly planning, we're allocating 30 percent of engineering resources to infrastructure improvements."
- in a Slack channel
"Does anyone have the quarterly planning slides? I want to check which projects got approved."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Do not confuse with annual planning. Quarterly refers to three-month periods, not yearly cycles. Also, it is a noun, not a verb—you do quarterly planning, not quarterly plan.
- ✕The quarterly planning will happen in six months.✓The next quarterly planning cycle begins in three months.
Quarterly planning happens every three months, not every six months. If something happens in six months, use different language like next cycle or mid-year review.
- ✕We do our annual quarterly planning in January.✓We conduct quarterly planning four times per year, with the first cycle starting in January.
Quarterly and annual are contradictory. Do not combine them. Quarterly means it repeats four times yearly, not once.
Other forms(3)
- quarterly planning noun
"Quarterly planning is scheduled for next Tuesday at 10 am."
- quarterly planning cycle noun
"Each quarterly planning cycle lasts approximately two weeks from kickoff to final approval."
- conduct quarterly planning verb phrase
"We conduct quarterly planning every thirteen weeks."
Often used with(5)
- quarterly planning meeting · The formal gathering where leadership and teams align on goals for the next three months
- quarterly planning cycle · The entire process from initial goal-setting through final commitment, typically two to three weeks
- quarterly planning document · The written output that captures goals, metrics, resource allocation, and priorities
- conduct quarterly planning · The verb phrase meaning to run or execute the quarterly planning process
- quarterly planning session · An informal term for the working meetings where teams break down and refine goals
Similar words(3)
- quarterly review · Similar timeframe, but typically refers to evaluating past performance rather than setting future goals
- quarterly goal-setting · More focused on objectives; quarterly planning is broader and includes resource allocation
- quarterly roadmap planning · Emphasizes the product roadmap aspect; quarterly planning is wider and includes operations and staffing
Opposites(3)
- ad hoc decision-making
- unstructured work
- annual planning
Questions(4)
- What is the difference between quarterly planning and sprint planning?
- Quarterly planning is strategic planning for a three-month business period and involves leadership, product, and engineering alignment on major goals and resource allocation. Sprint planning is tactical planning for a one- or two-week development sprint within that quarter and focuses on breaking down work into specific tasks. Sprint planning happens many times within one quarterly planning cycle.
- How long does quarterly planning take?
- The entire quarterly planning process typically takes two to three weeks from initial goal proposal through final commitment. However, the core kickoff meeting might be one or two days, and follow-up sessions are spread throughout the cycle as teams refine and break down goals.
- Is quarterly planning the same as a quarterly review?
- No. A quarterly review evaluates what you accomplished in the past quarter, while quarterly planning decides what you will accomplish in the next quarter. Some companies do both at the same time—review the past quarter and plan the next one.
- Why do tech companies use quarterly planning instead of annual planning?
- Technology changes rapidly, and markets shift quickly. Quarterly planning allows teams to stay agile by reassessing priorities every three months while still maintaining enough structure and predictability for longer-term roadmaps. Annual planning alone would be too rigid in fast-moving environments.
