Planning Periods
Audience: Admin, Strategy Manager, CEO Page Type: How-To Guide Duration: 15–30 minutes
What is a Planning Period?
A Planning Period brings analyses, focus areas and OKR cycles into a shared time frame. KPIs have continuous measurement series; reports use them within the selected cycle.
Think of a cycle as a fiscal year or strategic planning period. Common examples:
| Cycle Type | Example | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | 2025 Corporate Strategy | 12 months |
| Bi-annual | H1 2025 | 6 months |
| Quarterly | Q1 2025 | 3 months |
| Multi-year | 3-Year Transformation (2024–2026) | 36 months |
Why Cycles Matter
- All OKRs, focus areas, and analyses are scoped to a cycle — this prevents old data from polluting current views
- Cycles have a status (Draft / Active / Closed / Completed) — only one cycle per tenant is Active; KPI measurements can still be entered after a cycle closes, but closed reports show their closing snapshot
- Several planning-cycle records can exist, but only one is Active. OKR cycles provide the shorter annual/quarterly rhythm.
- The Dashboard always shows data for the currently selected cycle
Creating a Planning Period
- Go to Organization → Planning Periods
- Click + New Cycle
- Fill in the form:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Descriptive label | "2025 Annual Strategy" |
| Start Date | Required beginning date | January 1, 2026 |
| End Date | Optional end date | December 31, 2026 |
| Description | Optional context or goals | "Focus on market expansion" |
- Click Create
Cycle Status Flow
A planning period only moves forward:
Draft → Active → Closed → Completed
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | A new cycle starts as Draft; individual modules apply their own status rules. |
| Active | The living strategy process. Reports are created, KPIs added, OKR cycles can be activated. |
| Closed | The period is closed. At closing, the KPI values and report scores of all reports in the cycle were recorded as a snapshot; closed reports show that snapshot read-only. |
| Completed | Archive state. No new snapshot is taken; the existing snapshot does not change. |
Rules:
- One active planning period per tenant. Activating while another cycle is active is rejected and the active cycle's name is shown; close it first.
- No way back. An active cycle cannot return to Draft; a Closed or Completed cycle cannot be reopened. The status control only shows the allowed next step; in the final state it says the status cannot change.
- Status changes through the status control in the cycle detail; editing the name, description or dates does not change the status.
- Status changes are for administrator roles (Admin, Strategy Manager, Group Admin, Super Admin).
Activating a Cycle
- Open the cycle.
- Click Activate.
- If another cycle is active, the action is rejected.
Closing a Cycle (irreversible)
- First move the cycle's OKR cycles to Review or Completed; closing is rejected while an OKR cycle is active.
- Click Close cycle. The confirmation says the action is irreversible, a closing snapshot will be captured and closed reports become read-only.
- Confirm with Close and capture snapshot. On success the number of KPI usages captured is shown.
After closing:
- A closed report shows the values at closing; KPIs changed afterwards show a "Changed since closing" label. See KPI Tracking › Reports in a closed cycle.
- Measurement entry on KPIs continues in KPI Tracking and does not change the closed report.
- Reports in a closed cycle cannot be deleted; reports cannot be created in or moved into a closed cycle. A cycle with snapshots cannot be deleted.
- For very large cycles, if closing exceeds the safety limit (KPI usages or measurements) or times out, nothing changes and the cycle stays Active; an explanatory error is shown.
Completing a Cycle
A closed cycle is archived with Complete. All OKR cycles in it must be completed or closed. Completing also asks for confirmation and is irreversible.
One Active Cycle, Many Past Cycles
A tenant has a single active planning period. Use OKR cycles for the shorter rhythm: one annual and one quarterly OKR cycle can be active at the same time under the same planning period. Closed and completed cycles remain available for historical comparison.
Switching the Cycle on the Dashboard
- On the Dashboard or any strategy page, find the Cycle selector (top of the page)
- Click the dropdown and select a different cycle
- All views refresh to show data for the selected cycle; for a closed cycle, reports show the closing snapshot
End of Period Checklist
- Review the period's OKR progress and outstanding actions — see OKR Scoring & Quarterly Close
- Move the cycle's OKR cycles to Review or Completed
- Close the planning period as described in Closing a Cycle
- Activate the next planning period
The closed cycle's data remains accessible for historical reporting through its snapshot.
Planning cycles and menu groups
Cycle status does not track four mandatory phases. Use Organization, Situation Analysis, Strategy, Goals & Tracking and Reports for your tasks. The Cycle Cockpit summarizes records and missing connections without unlocking phase gates.