Purpose

Set 3-5 strategic goals for the quarter. Runs at the start of each quarter (or mid-quarter if starting fresh).

Usage

•/quarter-plan — Plan current or upcoming quarter
•/quarter-plan next — Plan next quarter (run in last week of current quarter)

Step 0: Check if Quarterly Planning is Enabled

Read System/user-profile.yaml:

•Check quarterly_planning.enabled value
•
If false or missing:
- •Display: "Quarterly planning is currently disabled. Would you like to enable it?"
- •If yes → Run onboarding questions (Step 0.5), then continue
- •If no → End command
•If true: Continue to Step 1

Step 0.5: Quarterly Planning Onboarding (First Time)

"Quarterly planning helps you set 3-5 big goals every 3 months. Your weekly plans will then tie back to these goals.

When does your Q1 start?

•January (calendar year)

•February

•April (common fiscal year)

•Other month

•I don't want quarterly planning"

Capture response:

•If 1-4: Save month to config
•If 5: Set enabled: false and end

Calculate quarter dates:

code

If Q1 starts in January:
  Q1: Jan-Mar, Q2: Apr-Jun, Q3: Jul-Sep, Q4: Oct-Dec
  
If Q1 starts in February:
  Q1: Feb-Apr, Q2: May-Jul, Q3: Aug-Oct, Q4: Nov-Jan
  
If Q1 starts in April:
  Q1: Apr-Jun, Q2: Jul-Sep, Q3: Oct-Dec, Q4: Jan-Mar

Save to System/user-profile.yaml:

yaml

quarterly_planning:
  enabled: true
  q1_start_month: 1  # 1=Jan, 2=Feb, 4=Apr, etc
  prompted: true

Step 1: Determine Target Quarter

Calculate current quarter based on q1_start_month:

•
Example: If q1_start_month=1 and today is Jan 28:
- •Current quarter: Q1 2026
- •Quarter dates: 2026-01-01 to 2026-03-31

If no parameter or "current":

•Plan current quarter

If parameter is "next":

•Plan next quarter (for end-of-quarter planning)

Store:

•target_quarter: "Q1 2026"
•quarter_start: "2026-01-01"
•quarter_end: "2026-03-31"

Step 2: Context Gathering

Check for Last Quarter's Review

Look for 07-Archives/Reviews/[last-quarter].md:

If exists, extract:

•Completed goals
•Incomplete goals
•"Next Quarter Suggestions" section
•Key learnings

If missing:

•Note: No previous quarter review found
•This is likely first time using quarterly planning

Check Current Quarter Goals (if mid-quarter update)

If 01-Quarter_Goals/Quarter_Goals.md exists with current quarter:

•Read current goals
•Note progress made
•Ask if updating or replacing

Check Pillars

Read System/pillars.yaml:

•Strategic pillars
•Check recent activity across pillars
•Identify any neglected areas

Scan Recent Projects

Look at 04-Projects/ for active initiatives:

•What's in flight?
•What needs to land this quarter?
•Any new initiatives starting?

Check Career Goals (if Career system enabled)

Look for 05-Areas/Career/Growth_Goals.md:

If exists, extract:

•Long-term vision (1-3 years)
•Target role/level
•Development focus areas (skills to develop)
•Impact goals
•Career milestones

If missing:

•Skip this section (career system not initialized)

Step 3: Interactive Goal Setting

Review Last Quarter (if available)

"Last quarter (Q4 2025) goals were:

•[Goal 1] — ✅ Completed

•[Goal 2] — 🔄 In progress (80%)

•[Goal 3] — ❌ Didn't finish

Anything to carry forward into this quarter?"

Wait for user input.

Present Context

"Looking at [Quarter] [Year] ([Start Date] - [End Date]):

Active projects:

•[Project 1]

•[Project 2]

Pillars to consider:

•[Pillar 1]: [Recent activity level]

•[Pillar 2]: [Recent activity level]

•[Pillar 3]: [Recent activity level]

If career goals exist, add:

Your career direction (1-3 years):

•Target role: [Role/Level from Growth_Goals.md]

•Skills to develop: [Key development areas]

•Impact you want: [Impact goals]

Keep these in mind as we plan this quarter — your quarterly goals should advance your career goals.

Then continue:

Let's work backwards from impact:

Imagine it's [Quarter End Date] and you're looking back on this quarter feeling incredibly happy with what you accomplished.

•What outcomes would accelerate your career and impact in your current role?

•What would you be proud to have delivered?

•What would matter most to the people you serve?

What are the 3-5 most important outcomes you want this quarter?"

Guide Goal Definition

For each goal (aim for 3-5):

"Goal [N]: What's the outcome?"

Then follow up:

•"Which pillar does this support?"
•"How will you measure success?"
•"What does 'done' look like?"
•"Any key milestones along the way?"

If career goals exist, also ask:

•"Does this goal help develop any skills you're targeting? (e.g., [skill1], [skill2] from your career plan)"
•"Does this advance your path to [target role]? How?"

Note responses for Phase 2 metadata.

Pillar Balance Check

After goals defined:

"Here's how your Q1 goals map to pillars:

•[Pillar 1]: [X] goals

•[Pillar 2]: [Y] goals

•[Pillar 3]: [Z] goals

Does this feel like the right balance?"

Allow adjustment.

Step 4: Archive Old Quarter Goals

If 01-Quarter_Goals/Quarter_Goals.md exists:

•Determine the quarter it represents
•Move to 07-Archives/Reviews/[old-quarter]-goals.md
•Note: This preserves what was PLANNED vs what ACTUALLY happened (from review)

Step 5: Generate Quarter Goals

Use the create_quarterly_goal MCP tool for each goal collected in Step 3.

For each goal, call the tool with:

•title: Goal title
•pillar: Pillar ID
•success_criteria: What done looks like
•milestones: Array of milestone objects
•quarter: Quarter string (e.g., "Q1 2026")

If career goals exist, also include:

•career_goal_id: Which career goal this advances (from Growth_Goals.md)
•skills_developed: Array of skills this goal develops (e.g., ["System Design", "Technical Leadership"])
•impact_level: "high" (promotion evidence), "medium" (solid contribution), or "low" (tactical)

The MCP tool will generate markdown like:

markdown

---
quarter: Q1 2026
start_date: 2026-01-01
end_date: 2026-03-31
created: [timestamp]
---

# Q1 2026 Goals

**Jan 1 - Mar 31, 2026**

---

## 🎯 Quarter Objectives

### 1. [Goal 1 Title] — **[Pillar]**

**What success looks like:**
[Specific, measurable outcome]

**Key milestones:**
- [ ] [Milestone 1] — By [rough timing]
- [ ] [Milestone 2] — By [rough timing]

**Progress:** 0% 🔴

---

### 2. [Goal 2 Title] — **[Pillar]**

**What success looks like:**
[Specific, measurable outcome]

**Key milestones:**
- [ ] [Milestone 1]
- [ ] [Milestone 2]

**Progress:** 0% 🔴

---

### 3. [Goal 3 Title] — **[Pillar]**

**What success looks like:**
[Specific, measurable outcome]

**Key milestones:**
- [ ] [Milestone 1]
- [ ] [Milestone 2]

**Progress:** 0% 🔴

---

[Repeat for goals 4-5 if applicable]

---

## 📊 Pillar Alignment

| Pillar | Goals | Balance |
|--------|-------|---------|
| [Pillar 1] | [Goal numbers] | [# of goals] |
| [Pillar 2] | [Goal numbers] | [# of goals] |
| [Pillar 3] | [Goal numbers] | [# of goals] |

---

## 🔄 Carried From Last Quarter

[Items from Q4 2025 that are continuing]

- [ ] [Item] — [Context]

---

## 📝 Notes & Context

[Any additional context about the quarter]

---

## 🏁 End of Quarter

*Fill this in when running `/quarter-review`*

### Completed
- 

### Incomplete
- 

### Key Wins
- 

### Learnings
- 

---

*Generated: [timestamp]*
*Command: /quarter-plan*

Step 6: Summary & Next Steps

Display summary:

"Q1 2026 goals set and saved to 01-Quarter_Goals/Quarter_Goals.md

Your focus this quarter:

•[Goal 1]

•[Goal 2]

•[Goal 3]

Pillar balance: [Note any imbalances]

Next steps:

•These goals will appear in your weekly planning

•Update progress notes as you make progress

•Run /quarter-review at end of quarter (Mar 31)

Ready to plan this week? Run /week-plan"

Integration Points

Called by /week-plan:

•Weekly planning reads from 01-Quarter_Goals/Quarter_Goals.md
•Prompts user to connect weekly priorities to quarterly goals

Updated manually:

•User can update progress percentages
•Check off milestones as they complete

Reviewed by /quarter-review:

•End of quarter review references these goals
•Compares plan vs actual accomplishment

Graceful Degradation

First Quarter

•No previous quarter to reference
•Start fresh with current context

Mid-Quarter Start

•Can run anytime
•Adjust goals for remaining time in quarter
•Note when goals were set

Disabled State

•Command prompts to enable
•Can enable at any time
•Doesn't affect weekly/daily planning