Annual plans drift. You set the budget with clear priorities, then operational fires demand resources. A key initiative for a new segment gets pushed back because the existing platform has execution issues. That's fine at the time - you have to deal with what's burning. But three months later you realize you're way behind on the things that underpin the budget, and nobody flagged it. A one-page AOP is a focusing constraint. It compresses the year to 7-8 things that matter, makes them discussable, and creates a checkpoint to test whether you're actually resourcing them or kidding yourself. --- ## The Structure This is what's worked for me - adapt as needed. **Goals** (left column) - Aspirational long-term direction. These can be slightly vague: "Become market leader in X segment", "Improve profitability to Y%". They provide context for why the milestones matter. **Milestones** - Concrete outcomes you'll have achieved by year-end. Not activities - outcomes. "Replatformed product Z." "Secured 6 new logos in segment X." "Launched in market Y." The test: can you draw a clear line from milestone to goal? If you get 6 logos in this market, does that credibly move you toward market leadership? If not, wrong milestone. **Initiatives** - The specific projects or bets that deliver each milestone. This is what actually gets resourced and tracked. **Metrics** - How you know whether you're on track. The exercise forces you to think: do we have instrumentation? Can we review this monthly, or will we only know if we succeeded in December? If metrics only tell you at year-end, you have a measurement gap. --- ## How to use this **At planning time:** The forcing function is compression. If you have 15 "critical" milestones, you don't have priorities - you have a wish list. Force it down to 7-8. Everything can't be strategic. **Throughout the year:** Use it as a decision filter. When operational issues demand resources (and they will), ask whether they pull from AOP initiatives. Sometimes the answer is yes - fires happen. But make it explicit. The risk is drifting for months before realizing you've under-resourced the plan. **Review cadence:** Monthly or quarterly, check actual progress against milestones. Not activity - movement. Are the initiatives progressing? Are metrics showing it? The trap is confusing busyness with progress. **Scope:** This covers the 7-8 things that move the needle and need explicit focus. Operating issues will still arise. General work continues. The one-pager isn't everything — it's what keeps you honest about priorities. --- ## The detailed budget The one-pager sits alongside the budget. The budget is where decision codification actually lives - phased hiring, revenue timing, investment triggers. The one-pager is what keeps you honest: are we resourcing the things that matter, or has drift taken over? --- **Red flags:** - Can't compress to 7-8 milestones (everything is "critical") - No clear line from goals to milestones (aspirations don't connect to concrete outcomes) - Metrics only tell you success/failure at year-end (instrumentation gap) - Never referenced after January (shelf-ware) --- **Related:** [[Notes/Meeting Modes|Meeting Modes]] · [[Notes/Decision Rubrics|Decision Rubrics]]