Management & Organization

Plan the upcoming year with an annual wheel

Do you experience difficulties maintaining an overview of the events in your company in the upcoming year? Use a wheel to plan your annual cycle.

How to use the wheel

Record the most important events of the upcoming year. Determine dates, content and if possible also who is responsible. This provides you with an overview and the ability to plan smarter, so that you for instance do not plan your strategy meeting before the reports from the company’s different departments are ready (you avoid waiting for this) and you can ensure that enough time is made available for the annual report in plenty of time before deadline.

Below you'll find four templates for an annual wheel with different levels of detail in an excel spreadsheet. This may not be how you prefer it. Other possibilities include drawing it on a large wall-calendar in a common area, or perhaps it's better for you to have it all in your internal calendar? Choose the solution that fits your temper and needs.

Things you could insert in your annual wheel:

• Determining budget
• Following up on budget
• Making the annual report
• Annual performance reviews
• Christmas party
• Employee conference
• Board meeting
• Management meeting with quarterly status
• Employee meetings
• Budget
• Strategy
• Result contracts
• Business plan
• Operative goals
• Deadlines for reporting to the authorities etc.
• Possible statements from superiors you have to wait for before making certain decisions.
• Profit goals from concern to companies in the concern.
• Political demands for results or for prioritizing initiatives in public management etc.
• Seasonal determined circumstances such as:
  • Busy season (travel industry)
  • International fair or trade exhibition (fashion industry)
  • Quarterly shifts (financial industry) etc.
• Annual closure or six-monthly closure before a summer holiday.
• Kick off activity right after summer holiday.
• Making the next annual wheel