Annual planning process
Contents
This is the schedule for how we run various planning processes at PostHog throughout the year, together with explanations for what each thing is and who takes part. We intentionally keep things as light as possible, but have started introducing some slightly more structured processes around longer lead things like hiring and deciding which products to build.
Besides very high level financial forecasting, we don't plan out any further than 12 months, because things change and we don't want to feel locked into something that doesn't make sense. All 12 month plans are rolling, and we update them every three months at least.
Changes to the plan can happen outside of this schedule - this is a rough guide, not a strict timetable.
| Month | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Monthly accounts review | 12 month product plan | 12 month hiring plan | Monthly accounts review |
| February | Board meeting | Org tidy up | Monthly accounts review | |
| March | Q2 goal setting | Monthly accounts review | ||
| April | 12 month product plan | 12 month hiring plan | Monthly accounts review | |
| May | Board meeting | Whole company offsite | Org tidy up | Monthly accounts review |
| June | H2 financial re-forecast | Q3 goal setting | Monthly accounts review | |
| July | 12 month product plan | 12 month hiring plan | Monthly accounts review | |
| August | Board meeting | Org tidy up | Monthly accounts review | |
| September | Q4 goal setting | Monthly accounts review | ||
| October | 12 month product plan | 12 month hiring plan | Monthly accounts review | |
| November | Board meeting | Org tidy up | Monthly accounts review | |
| December | Financial forecast | Q1 goal setting | Holidays - keep empty |
What each meeting does
12 month product plan
What: We update our rolling 12 month plan, which tells us what products to build next. This then tells us who we need to hire to support the plan. The output of this plan feeds into quarterly goal setting (below).
Who: Exec team
12 month hiring plan
What: We update our rolling 12 month hiring plan, which tells us who we need to hire beyond the current quarter. The hiring plan lives in Pry.
Who: Exec team
Board meeting
What: Quarterly meeting to update the board on progress and talk through 1-2 strategic topics. Board packs are stored in Google Drive.
Who: Exec team, occasional guest presenter
Org tidy up
What: Go through all the small teams, make sure everyone is happy and in the right place, make any changes needed to support new products/general scaling.
Who: Exec team
Financial forecast
What: Review the 3 year financial forecast, add another year. Tweak based on past performance, then check it is realistic, and keeps us on track. The forecast lives in Pry.
Who: Fraser, Exec
H2 financial reforecast
What: Midway through the year check that the 3 year forecast makes sense, tweak if necessary
Who: Fraser, Charles
Monthly accounts review
What: Review last month's management accounts against budget. November's accounts review happens in January, due to the holidays in December, as we typically get our monthly accounts around the 21st of the following month.
Who: Fraser, Charles
Pay reviews
What: We run these 3 times a year. Not in the calendar as the times shift year to year and we want flexibility as we grow.
Who: Exec
Quarterly goal setting
What: Exec pre-meeting, then individual teams meet to run their own processes.
Who: Exec, then team leads
Whole company offsite
What: Hopefully somewhere warm.
Who: Everyone