Quarterly Planning

How to use Coppermind's quarterly planning tools to start a new quarter, set rocks, track pacing, and close out the quarter with real data.

The Quarterly Cycle#

Coppermind supports the EOS quarterly cadence natively. The lifecycle for each quarter is:

1. Start the quarter -- create rocks, import the sprint plan
2. Track progress -- update rock status, check pacing
3. Assess pacing -- compare expected vs actual progress
4. Close the quarter -- review accomplishments, prepare for next quarter

Starting a New Quarter#

Set the Cadence#

First, make sure the client mind has its cadence configured:

"Configure Acme's cadence: EOS, 2026, Q2, sprint 1, 6 sprints per quarter"

This sets the quarter context that all EOS tools use as defaults.

Start the Quarter with Rocks#

"Start Q2 2026 for Acme with these rocks: Website Redesign, Content Engine, Brand Refresh"

Coppermind creates each rock you list. You can include descriptions and owners:

"Start Q2 2026 for Acme with these rocks:
 - Website Redesign (owner: Sarah, description: Full site overhaul by end of quarter)
 - Content Engine (owner: Ben, description: Launch blog + newsletter pipeline)
 - Brand Refresh (owner: Marketing team)"

Important: starting a quarter creates the rocks but doesn't set the client's cadence. Set the active quarter and sprint number separately -- just say "configure Acme: Q2 2026, Sprint 1."

Import the Sprint Plan#

After creating rocks, import your sprint plan:

"Import this sprint plan for Acme:
initiative_name,owner,quarterly_goal,sprint_number,deliverable,notes
Website Redesign,Sarah,Launch new site,1,Wireframes complete,
Website Redesign,Sarah,Launch new site,2,Design approved,
Website Redesign,Sarah,Launch new site,3,Development done,
Content Engine,Ben,Blog + newsletter,1,Editorial calendar,
Content Engine,Ben,Blog + newsletter,2,First 4 posts drafted,"

The import supports both CSV and JSON formats. For CSV, it auto-detects whether you are using the long format (one row per deliverable) or wide format (sprints as columns).

Wide CSV format (common from spreadsheet exports):

Owner,Sprint 1,Sprint 2,Sprint 3,Goal/Target
,Jan 17,Jan 31,Feb 14,
Sarah,Wireframes,Design approved,Dev done,Launch new site
Ben,Editorial cal,First 4 posts,Newsletter setup,Blog + newsletter

Row 0 is the header. Row 1 contains sprint end dates. Row 2+ are initiatives with deliverables in each sprint column.

Tracking Progress#

Check Rock Status#

"What are our rocks this quarter for Acme?"

Returns all rocks with status, progress percentage, and (if sprint plans exist) deliverable counts and completion percentages.

Update a Rock#

"Update the Website Redesign rock — 45% complete, on track"

Valid statuses: on_track, off_track, at_risk, complete, dropped.

Update Sprint Deliverables#

"Mark the wireframes deliverable as complete for Website Redesign"

The tool fuzzy-matches on initiative name within the current sprint. Valid deliverable statuses: not_started, in_progress, complete, blocked, cut.

Check Current Sprint#

"What sprint are we in for Acme?"

Returns the current sprint number, end date, and days remaining. Sprint numbers are computed from sprint end dates in the plan (preferred) or from the cadence configuration (fallback).

Quarterly Pacing#

The pacing assessment compares where each rock should be versus where it actually is.

"How are we pacing this quarter for Acme?"

Coppermind calculates expected progress based on elapsed time in the quarter and flags rocks that are behind pace:

Q1 2026 — Sprint 4 of 6, 12 days remaining
Expected progress: 78%

Website Redesign: 65% — BEHIND PACE
Content Engine: 80% — on track
Brand Refresh: 100% — complete

A rock is flagged as "behind" when its progress is more than 15 percentage points below the expected progress for the current point in the quarter.

Auto-trigger (future): Two weeks before quarter end, Coppermind will automatically generate a pacing report across all clients so you walk into Q2 planning already knowing where everyone stands.

Sprint Plan Details#

View the Full Sprint Plan#

"Show me the sprint plan for Acme"

Returns all deliverables organized by initiative, with:

• Status per deliverable
• Which sprint each belongs to
• Current sprint highlighted
• Rock linkage (title, status, progress) when rocks are linked

Link Deliverables to Rocks#

When updating a deliverable, you can link it to a rock:

"Link the website wireframes deliverable to the Website Redesign rock"

This creates a traceable connection from sprint-level work to quarterly goals.

Practical Example: Full Quarter Flow#

Week 1:

"Configure Acme for EOS, Q2 2026, sprint 1, 6 sprints per quarter"
"Start Q2 2026 for Acme with rocks: Website Redesign, Content Engine, Brand Refresh"
"Import this sprint plan..." (paste CSV)

Every 2 weeks (sprint boundary):

"Update cadence to sprint 2 for Acme"
"Mark the wireframes as complete for Website Redesign"
"Update Website Redesign rock — 25% complete"

Mid-quarter check:

"How are we pacing this quarter for Acme?"

Quarter end:

"How are we pacing this quarter for Acme?"
"Show me all rocks for Q2 2026"
"Start Q3 2026 for Acme with these rocks: ..."

Error Reference#