Weekly Planning Meeting (CQ)¶
Owner: Vi | Updated: 2026-02-05
Purpose¶
Vi leads weekly planning to ensure the team knows what to build, in what order, with clear deadlines. This is how Vi drives results instead of just facilitating self-reports.
Meeting Details¶
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Every Wednesday |
| Time | 2:00 PM VN time |
| Duration | 45 minutes max |
| Facilitator | Vi |
| Attendees | Vi + Dev team |
| Channel | Video call |
Why Wednesday? Tuesday evening is the Erik meeting. Wednesday is the first full workday after. The plan should already be prepared and shared with Erik on Tuesday—this meeting is for team alignment and execution.
Agenda (45 min)¶
1. Last Week Review (10 min)¶
Goal: Understand what actually happened vs. what was planned.
| Question | Who Answers |
|---|---|
| What shipped last week? | Each dev, 1 min each |
| What didn't ship that was planned? | Each dev |
| Why? (No blame, just facts) | Each dev |
Output: List of completed items, list of carryovers
2. This Week's Priorities (15 min)¶
Goal: Everyone knows the top 3 priorities and who owns what.
Vi presents: 1. Top 3 priorities for the week 2. Who owns each 3. Deadlines for each
Each dev confirms: - "I'm working on X, deadline is Y" - "I can/cannot meet that deadline" - "I need Z to unblock"
Output: Shared understanding of week's focus
3. Blockers & Dependencies (10 min)¶
Goal: Surface anything that could stop progress.
| Question | Who |
|---|---|
| What's blocking you right now? | Each dev |
| What do you need from someone else? | Each dev |
| What decisions are pending? | Vi |
Output: Blockers identified, owners assigned to unblock
4. Backlog Review (10 min)¶
Goal: Keep backlog groomed and prioritized.
Vi leads: - New items added this week - Reprioritizations needed - Anything to reject or defer
Output: Updated backlog
Before Tuesday's Erik Meeting¶
The plan must be ready BEFORE the Tuesday Erik meeting, not after.
By Tuesday morning, Vi should have: - [ ] Draft of this week's priorities - [ ] Key decisions to raise with Erik - [ ] Status of last week's commitments
The Tuesday Erik meeting is for alignment and direction. Don't come to that meeting with no plan—come with a proposed plan for Erik to approve or adjust.
Before Wednesday's Team Meeting (Vi's Prep)¶
Vi prepares 30 min before:
- Review last week's tasks in ClickUp
- Identify what completed vs. carried over
- Finalize top 3 priorities (incorporating Erik's Tuesday feedback)
- Check for deadline conflicts
- Review intake list for new items
- Note any pending decisions needed
Meeting Rules¶
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| Start on time | Respect everyone's time |
| No phones/distractions | Full attention |
| One person talks at a time | Efficient communication |
| Stick to agenda | Don't rabbit hole |
| Decisions before leaving | Don't defer |
| Document everything | Single source of truth |
Meeting Output¶
After the meeting, Vi posts in #cq-product:
## CQ Weekly Plan - [Date]
### Top 3 Priorities
1. [Feature/Task] - @dev - Due [date]
2. [Feature/Task] - @dev - Due [date]
3. [Feature/Task] - @dev - Due [date]
### Last Week
- Completed: [list]
- Carried over: [list with reasons]
### Blockers
- [Blocker] - Owner: @name
### Decisions Made
- [Decision 1]
- [Decision 2]
What Vi Should Push On¶
Vi's job is to drive results. In this meeting:
| Situation | What Vi Does |
|---|---|
| Dev says "I'm working on it" | "What's the deadline? When will it ship?" |
| Dev says "Almost done" | "What's left? Give me a specific date" |
| Dev says "I don't know" | "Let's figure it out now. What do you need?" |
| Vague estimates | "Give me a specific date, not a range" |
| Too many priorities | "We can only do 3. Which 3?" |
| No blockers mentioned | "Really? Nothing slowing you down?" |
Key phrase: "What's the deadline?"
Carryover Rules¶
If something doesn't ship as planned:
| First Time | Second Time | Third Time |
|---|---|---|
| Discuss why, adjust deadline | Escalate to Ryan, split task | Remove from sprint, reassess |
Chronic carryovers indicate: - Tasks are too big (break them down) - Estimates are wrong (get better at estimating) - Priorities keep changing (scope creep) - Something is blocking (identify and remove)
Post-Meeting Actions¶
Within 2 hours after meeting:
Vi does: - [ ] Update ClickUp with this week's assignments - [ ] Set/confirm all deadlines - [ ] Post weekly plan to #cq-product - [ ] Escalate any unresolved blockers
Each dev does: - [ ] Confirm tasks in ClickUp are accurate - [ ] Flag any deadline concerns immediately
Skip Conditions¶
Don't hold meeting if: - Major production incident (fix first) - Only 1 dev available (reschedule) - Monday is holiday (move to Tuesday)
Do hold meeting if: - Meeting is "boring" (structure is the point) - "We already know what to do" (alignment matters) - "Nothing new" (review and accountability still matter)
Vi's Accountability¶
This meeting is where Vi drives results. Vi is accountable for:
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Meeting happens weekly | 100% |
| Summary posted same day | 100% |
| All tasks have deadlines | 100% |
| Blockers have owners | 100% |
| Top 3 priorities defined | Every week |
Integration with Other SOPs¶
| SOP | Connection |
|---|---|
| Task Creation Standards | All tasks reviewed must meet standards |
| Feature Intake | New features enter backlog here |
| Daily Dev Update | Progress tracked against weekly plan |
| Missed Deadline | Carryovers trigger this process |
FAQ¶
Q: What if Erik needs something mid-week? A: Add it to the plan, adjust priorities, communicate impact. Weekly plan is a starting point, not a straitjacket.
Q: What if devs don't want to commit to deadlines? A: That's the job. No deadline = no accountability. Push for specific dates.
Q: What if the meeting runs over 45 min? A: Stop at 45. Anything unresolved goes to a follow-up. Respect time.
Q: What if someone is absent? A: Review their tasks anyway. They catch up from the posted summary.
Q: What if priorities are unclear? A: Escalate to Ryan. Don't leave the meeting without clear top 3.
Summary¶
| Principle | Why |
|---|---|
| Weekly cadence | Regular rhythm creates predictability |
| Top 3 priorities | Focus prevents scatter |
| Deadlines required | No deadline = no urgency |
| Post summary publicly | Visibility creates accountability |
| Vi drives the meeting | PM owns results, not just facilitation |
This meeting is how Vi creates urgency and accountability on the team.