Template · C63
Build an annual marketing plan
How can the year be organised around decisions rather than a monthly list of actions?
Direct answer
The annual calendar combines four decision cycles, twelve monthly reviews and explicit reforecast windows.
01Set commitments, gates and review rights for the twelve months.
02The rule, the evidence and the next review date stay visible.
How to use this
Move from the question to the deliverable.
How can the year be organised around decisions rather than a monthly list of actions?
Set commitments, gates and review rights for the twelve months.
Downloadable annual calendar
Downloadable template · SQ-63
Structure twelve months around four decision cycles
An annual plan is not a fixed calendar. It combines commitments, quarterly gates and explicit review windows.
Illustrative annual template for a B2B marketing team steering a portfolio of six initiatives.
- 01Anchor
Fix the annual commitments, assumptions and reserves before the first quarter.
- 02Split
Organise the year into four cycles, each with a distinct result and gate.
- 03Steer
Hold a monthly review focused on variances, risks and decisions.
- 04Reforecast
Open two formal windows while allowing an exceptional escalation.
Annual calendar of commitments and reviews
Every month has a decision output; the quarters end with a gate and not with a mere presentation.
| Month | Cycle | Primary decision | Expected evidence | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | C1 · Frame | Freeze baseline | Reconciled sources | Version 1 |
| February | C1 · Frame | Validate objectives | Quantified tree | Targets |
| March | Q1 gate | Fund the portfolio | Budget × capacity | Q2 go |
| April | C2 · Execute | Release tranche 2 | Readiness | Commitment |
| May | C2 · Execute | Correct cadence | Plan vs actual | Actions |
| June | Q2 gate | Half-year reforecast | Updated assumptions | Version 2 |
| July | C3 · Accelerate | Reallocate | Marginal return | Trade-off |
| August | C3 · Accelerate | Protect bottlenecks | Net workload | Rephasing |
| September | Q3 gate | Choose Q4 options | Scenarios | Q4 go |
| October | C4 · Consolidate | Prepare next year | Provisional baseline | Mandate |
| November | C4 · Consolidate | Stop or renew | Stop-doing list | Portfolio |
| December | Q4 gate | Close and transfer | Outcomes + decisions | Final version |
01The plan stays unchanged only until the June gate, where assumptions and capacity are recalculated.
02Preparation of the following year starts in October with a provisional baseline, not in December.
03Every monthly review produces an assigned decision or explicitly confirms that no action is needed.
Indicative calendar, to be adapted to the budget, sales and product cycle of the organisation.
Coherence controls
Minimum conditions before validation.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
Usable deliverable
Downloadable annual calendar
Explore the decision further with an interactive control, or start from a structured template to produce your deliverable.