By Jordan Imutan
Consultant | Creator of STRIDES™ Framework
We All Love Big Ideas—But Execution Needs a Time Limit
Let’s be honest—we love strategic planning sessions.
We enjoy talking about growth, innovation, culture, and transformation. We leave the room energized, excited about where we’re going.
But three months later, what happens?
We’re stuck in fire-fighting mode. The same problems repeat. The strategy we were once excited about? Buried in a shared folder, forgotten under day-to-day chaos.
We’ve been there. And so have many companies we’ve worked with.
That’s why we started asking this question:
What if the key to execution wasn’t doing more—but focusing smarter?
That led us to build our favorite leadership habit: the 90-day execution cycle.
And in this article, we’ll show you why 90 days is the sweet spot—and how it can completely transform the way your team works.
The Problem with Annual Plans
Most organizations operate on a 12-month planning cycle. On paper, that seems logical. You define goals for the year, set budgets, and launch initiatives.
But here’s the problem: a year is too long.
Too many things can change. People forget what the priorities were. Motivation fades. Teams lose focus.
Annual plans become too rigid for fast-changing businesses, and too distant to feel urgent.
Let’s face it—when we set a goal for December, it’s easy to tell ourselves we’ll “start working on it next month.”
That’s where 90-day planning makes all the difference.
Why 90 Days Works
We’ve used 90-day execution cycles across companies of all sizes. Here’s why it works:
1. It’s Short Enough to Stay Focused
A 90-day period is close enough to feel real. It creates a sense of urgency and commitment. When people know they only have three months to hit a goal, they start moving now—not later.
2. It’s Long Enough to Achieve Something Meaningful
Unlike 1-week sprints or 30-day quick wins, 90 days gives you room to actually deliver. You can build a new product feature, launch a pilot, train a team, or fix a major bottleneck.
3. It Respects the Business Rhythm
Most businesses naturally run on a quarterly rhythm—budgets, performance reviews, and reports often follow this cycle. A 90-day plan fits into that flow seamlessly.
What a 90-Day Execution Plan Looks Like
A good 90-day plan isn’t just a checklist. It’s a focused blueprint for execution.
Here’s how we build them with our STRIDES™ clients:
Step 1: Pick 3 to 5 Strategic Priorities
These priorities should directly align with your business strategy. You’re not trying to do everything—just the most impactful things.
For example:
- Improve customer retention
- Launch a new digital product
- Reduce cost of operations by 10%
- Strengthen middle management training
We help teams clarify these goals using our Strategic Priorities Matrix.
Step 2: Break Each Priority Into Milestones
Each 90-day priority should have 2–3 clear deliverables or “proofs of progress.”
For example:
- For a digital product: MVP launch, internal testing, pilot with 100 users
- For customer retention: improved onboarding flow, feedback survey, follow-up process
Step 3: Assign Owners and Teams
Execution dies when no one owns the outcome. For each milestone, assign one clear owner. They’re responsible—not for doing everything, but for making sure it gets done.
We also map support teams, timelines, and dependencies during planning workshops.
Step 4: Set Success Metrics
How will you know if the priority was delivered successfully?
Make success measurable—percent complete, revenue impact, customer feedback scores, etc.
Why Most Teams Love This Format
When we run our STRIDES™ 90-Day Planning Workshops, we often hear this feedback:
“Finally, we know what to focus on.”
“I feel like we can actually do this.”
“This makes our goals real—not just wishful thinking.”
That’s because 90-day planning does more than organize tasks—it gives people clarity, confidence, and commitment.
Combining 90-Day Plans with Weekly Rhythms
A plan is only as good as its follow-through. That’s why we pair 90-day plans with a weekly execution rhythm.
This rhythm is simple: once a week, every team checks in on their priorities. We cover what’s on track, what’s stuck, and what’s next.
This small habit changes everything. It keeps the plan alive. It reminds everyone what we’re aiming for. And it creates visible momentum.
We’ve seen teams transform just by installing this one routine.
What Happens in 90 Days
You might be wondering—can real change happen in just three months?
Here’s what we’ve helped teams achieve using this format:
- Customer service team reduced average response time by 40%
- A startup launched 2 product features that increased engagement by 15%
- A retail chain trained 60+ supervisors on people management
- A logistics company fixed a process that was costing them ₱300K/month
- A regional team improved interdepartmental coordination after 12 months of silence
These weren’t big tech rollouts or million-peso solutions. They were the result of focused planning, clear ownership, and weekly momentum.
Why We Use 90-Day Planning in STRIDES™
At the heart of our STRIDES™ Framework is the idea that strategy must lead to action—and action must lead to impact.
That’s why the “Implement with Impact” phase is so important. It’s where we install 90-day execution plans into your team’s DNA.
Here’s what we do in that phase:
- Facilitate a full 90-Day Planning Workshop
- Identify your top 3–5 priorities
- Break them into milestones and assign owners
- Create a simple success tracking board
- Train your team to run weekly check-ins
- Coach managers to unblock issues fast
It’s practical. It’s scalable. And it sticks—because it makes sense.
What It Feels Like After 90 Days
We often ask clients to reflect on how their team feels after implementing STRIDES™.
Here’s what they say:
- “There’s less confusion. People are finally aligned.”
- “Our meetings are shorter, but way more productive.”
- “We’re not guessing anymore. We’re moving.”
- “I’ve never seen this much progress in so little time.”
And one of our favorite quotes:
“We didn’t need more strategy—we needed better execution. STRIDES™ gave us that.”
How to Start Your Own 90-Day Plan Today
You don’t need to hire us to get started.
Here’s a simple checklist you can follow with your team:
- Choose 3–5 priorities you want to accomplish in the next 90 days
- Break each into 2–3 deliverables
- Assign one owner per deliverable
- Set a “done” metric for each one
- Create a shared progress board
- Run a weekly 25-minute check-in to track updates
You can do this on a whiteboard, a spreadsheet, or a task management tool. The key is not the tool—it’s the discipline.
Need Help Facilitating the First One?
If you want help setting this up in your organization, that’s what we’re here for.
Our STRIDES™ Consulting Program walks with you through the process. We don’t just create a plan—we help you build systems and habits that make execution automatic.
Our clients say this is the most useful investment they’ve made in years—not because it’s complicated, but because it works.
What Could You Accomplish in 90 Days If You Started Today?
Would your team hit that long-delayed goal?
Would your next product finally launch?
Would you reduce burnout and create clarity?
Would your strategy finally come to life?
You won’t know unless you start.
Let’s Build the Next 90 Days—Together.
📩 Email Carl: carl@axelgabmc.com
📞 Call or Text: 0966.507-9136
One quarter. Three goals. One rhythm. That’s all it takes.
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