What’s important to us in how we plan?

We plan so that we can:

• Set the right pace - we want to work at a pace that supports our wellbeing and allows for genuine collaboration. Being realistic about how far we can get with something, in a period of time, supports this.
• Focus on the right things - we have big ambitions and there is always a lot that we could be doing. Agreeing priorities helps us to make space for the important things, as well as the urgent things.
• Signal our intent - we are committed to working in the open. Agreeing a plan allows us to share our intentions, which makes it easier for those we work with and alongside to decide what role they would like to play and how they would like to be involved.

How we plan

NB: this is an iteration on how we planned previously. It’s an experiment.

1. We set annual intentions

We plan in line with our financial year, from April to March.

We set intentions for where we hope to be by the end of the year. We describe this as the outcomes we want to see.

For example: We have a tech stack that meets our needs and we understand how ethical/unethical it is.

For example: We have a team of Directors (both Executive and Non-Executive Directors) in place who are values-aligned

When agreeing an annual intention, we think carefully about pace. What is realistic?

We use the **domains** of our work as prompts for setting annual intentions.

2. We set trimesterly intentions

We found that planning in quarters didn’t fit with the rhythms of our work across the year. We are experimenting with planning in three trimesters:

1. April - our summer closure (usually late August)
2. September - our winter closure (three weeks usually from mid-December to early January)
3. January - end of March

We set intentions for where we hope to be by the end of the period. We describe this as the outcomes we want to see.

For example: We have full control of our tech stack (it has been disentangled from CAST).

For example: We have agreed how we would like to approach a piece of work on the ethics of our tech stack

When agreeing a trimesterly intention, we think carefully about pace. What is realistic?