The Problem

Most annual planning fails because it's either:

• Too tactical: Budget spreadsheets and departmental wish lists, not strategic direction
• Too isolated: Executive team plans in a vacuum, disconnected from operational reality
• Too rushed: Crammed into a 4-hour meeting between urgent priorities
• Too siloed: Departments plan independently, missing cross-functional opportunities and conflicts
• Too rigid: Annual plan gets locked in January, becomes obsolete by March, but no one adjusts
• Too loose: Great ideas with no first step once the meeting is over

The result: Annual plans that sit in binders gathering dust while teams execute based on whatever's urgent, not what's strategic.

The Principle

YSP sets the annual strategic direction that cascades through every other communication layer.

This is the top of the strategic planning pyramid:

• YSP (Annual): Sets organizational direction, resource allocation, and annual goals
• QSR (Quarterly): Validates/adjusts direction, allocates resources within annual budget
• MGR (Monthly): Translates quarterly priorities into operational execution
• WLH (Weekly): Executes monthly commitments with team accountability
• W1+1 (Weekly): Coaches individual performance toward team goals
• D2D (Daily): Tracks KPIs and operational obstacles
• S2S (Shift): Ensures tactical continuity

Without YSP, you have execution without direction. With YSP, every layer connects to strategic purpose.