Putting It All Together: Worked Examples in Prose
Theory is one thing, but seeing how the quarterly review process works in practice makes it real. Let’s walk through two detailed scenarios—one for a career pivot and another for a personal fitness goal—to see how this framework translates ambition into action.
Scenario 1: The Career Pivot from Engineer to Product Manager
Maria is a talented software engineer who has a 10-year vision of leading a product team that builds innovative technology. Her 1-year goal is to make an internal transition into her company’s first Associate Product Manager (APM) role. It’s the start of Q1, and she’s ready to map out her first 90-day sprint.
During her quarterly review and planning session, she decides her Quarterly Theme will be: “Build Foundational Product Acumen and Internal Visibility.” She knows she can’t become a PM in 90 days, but she can build the skills and relationships that will make her the top candidate when a role opens up.
She then breaks this down into measurable objectives. For her lagging indicators (the outcomes), she sets a goal to complete a certified online product management course and to have three in-depth conversations with current PMs at her company. Her leading indicators (the actions) are what she’ll focus on day-to-day. She commits to two key input goals: spend 45 minutes on her course four times a week, and read one article about product strategy every single day.
For her first week, her Weekly Focus is to “Set up my learning system and schedule my first coffee chat.” Her Daily Actions are clear: Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 to 8:45 AM, her calendar is blocked for “PM Coursework.” Every day during her lunch break, she spends 15 minutes reading from her curated list of product blogs. On Tuesday, she sends an email to a senior PM she admires to request a brief chat. She tracks these two daily habits in a simple notebook. At her weekly review on Sunday, she sees she completed all four study sessions and read seven articles. The coffee chat is booked for the following week. She feels a sense of accomplishment and momentum. She plans her next week, focusing on completing the first major module of her course. Quarter by quarter, these focused sprints will build her into the ideal candidate for her dream role.
Scenario 2: The Fitness Goal of Running a First 10k
David wants to improve his cardiovascular health. His 1-year goal is ambitious but exciting: to run his first-ever 10k race. He’s starting from a baseline of being mostly sedentary. He knows that jumping into a full training plan would lead to injury or burnout, so he uses the quarterly review to plan a smarter approach.
His Quarterly Theme for the next 90 days is simple and powerful: “Build a Consistent and Injury-Free Running Habit.” The goal isn’t speed or distance yet; it’s simply about showing up and establishing a routine. Success for this quarter is defined by consistency, not performance.
His primary lagging indicator is qualitative: at the end of 90 days, he wants to feel comfortable running for 30 minutes straight without stopping. His leading indicators are the bedrock of his plan. He finds a beginner “couch to 10k” program and sets his input goal: complete the three scheduled walk/run sessions each week. He also adds a supporting habit: perform a 10-minute post-run stretching routine to aid recovery and prevent injury.
In his first week, the plan calls for three sessions of alternating 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking. His Weekly Focus is to “Complete all three scheduled workouts and establish my running gear station.” His Daily Actions on workout days (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) are “Put on running clothes right after work” and “Complete today’s walk/run session.” He uses a habit tracker app on his phone to check off each run and each stretching session. After two weeks, he hits a snag—a busy work project causes him to miss his Thursday run. Following the “never miss twice” rule, he makes sure to get his Saturday session in. During his weekly review, he acknowledges the missed day not as a failure, but as data. He decides to shift his Thursday run to the morning to prevent work from interfering. This small adjustment, made possible by his review process, keeps him on track. By the end of the quarter, he’s not yet ready for a 10k, but he has successfully built the identity of a runner, laying the perfect foundation for his next 90-day sprint toward that finish line.
