Quarterly delivery cycle (QDC)

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ADAPTOVATE helps organisations ensure delivery of strategic objectives by designing and embedding effective quarterly planning and review rhythms.

The Quarterly Delivery Cycle approach complements annual planning cycles to increase alignment and flexibility by introducing adaptation points throughout the year. While Quarterly Delivery Cycles are integral to Agile ways of working, they are also effective in non-Agile settings to create a clear link between individual, team, and organisational performance to promote a culture of accountability and sustained success.

ADAPTOVATE coaches leaders to assess the past quarter, consider environmental changes and respond by adjusting priorities.

ADAPTOVATE trains teams to evaluate and track progress against their Objectives and make priority decisions about the coming quarter’s plan to drive agreed and specific, measurable Key Results.

ADAPTOVATE coaches teams to embed and use the Quarterly Delivery Cycle process to align funding and resourcing capacity for the quarter.

Benefits of using QDCs

ADAPTOVATE has helped organisations focus on what is essential by using a Quarterly Delivery Cycle to achieve the following benefits:

Increased clarity on what is important by creating transparency on organisational priorities and assigning clear outcome accountabilities to drive progress.

Improved visibility into strategy execution through short, frequent check-ins to monitor progress towards objectives, provide a view of uncertainties and increase discipline in financial accountability linked to value creation to make better decisions.

Increased flexibility in planning and execution through building on a solid annual plan with quarterly adjustments to bring the right people to the right work to deliver the highest value work in a fast and cost-effective manner.

Working with clients.

We have worked with clients across sectors, including retail, e-commerce resources, education, health and business services sectors, to embed Quarterly Delivery Cycles to deliver tangible business benefits, including:

$70 million in cost-saving opportunities were identified, and 172 products were approved for removal within the first 4 months of using QDC at a global energy company.

200-300% increase in efficiency, streamlining the quarterly workload from 10-12 projects to 4-5 per portfolio at a media company.

More than 5 times faster project delivery time, from 4-6 months down to approximately 4 weeks.