The Monthly Compass

The Promise

Catch quarter drift at Month 1 or Month 2, while there's still time to adjust execution, before the quarter becomes a post-mortem.

How It Works

• Surface the gap on paper. For each OKR, write the current number next to the target. Don't evaluate; just surface the arithmetic.
• Run the four-dimension check. Write one paragraph each on Output, Capacity, Focus, and Direction. Name what's true, not what you intended.
• Write the single most important adjustment as an if-then plan. One adjustment, not a list. Bind it to a concrete trigger so it fires within seven days.

In Practice

The Compass adjusts execution, not the targets. It belongs to the Execute phase, run at the end of months 1 and 2, not to the Review phase. A quarter can post output progress while capacity quietly collapses, or hold focus while the Direction goes wrong, so run all four dimensions. The whole thing takes 30 to 45 minutes. If it runs longer, you've drifted into replanning; pull back.