The Planning Board is an additional page of our Rocks tool that helps you plan and manage Rocks for both the current and future quarters. Use this page to:

• Plan strategically by assigning Rocks to various columns.
• Align Rocks directly to company and team goals.
• Convert long-term Issues (LTIs) into Rocks.
• Transition smoothly from one quarter to the next.

Who Can Use the Planning Board?

The Rocks Planning Board is available to all companies on a paid subscription plan (Essentials, Accelerate, or Thrive). It is currently only available on our web app.

Here's a quick breakdown of how users can interact with the Planning Board based on their user role:

Navigating the Planning Board

The Planning Board displays your team's Rocks across five columns, so you're team can plan out quarterly initiatives in a way that works best for you:

1. Current — The Rocks your team is currently working on.
2. Next — The Rocks your team will take on when they have capacity, or what you're planning to take on next quarter.
3. Later — Your team may use this column for Rocks that are intended for one or more quarters into the future.
4. Future — This column holds Rocks your team to plan for when they have the capacity to do so.
5. Long-Term Issues — Your team's long-term Issues list, which may include future Rock candidates or ideas.

Use the Next, Later, and Future columns in whichever way works best for you and your team. Some teams may move the current quarter's Rocks through these columns as they have the capacity to work on them. Other teams may assign a specific quarter to each Rock and add other relevant information to its details panel on an ongoing basis.

Working with Draft Rocks

The Planning Board introduces a new "Draft" status for Rocks that are still being defined or considered. Draft Rocks can be:

• Created and edited like any other Rock.
• Archived while still in Draft status.
• Converted to active when ready.

Draft Rocks remain visible on the Planning Board until you're ready to finalize or archive them.

Team Navigation

You can switch between your teams using the Team dropdown toward the top left of the page.

Additional Actions

At the top of each column, you can click the plus button to create a new Rock or the ellipsis to open a more action menu to help you sort the items. 

Consider these key features while navigating the Planning Board:

• Drag and drop: Move Rocks between quarters or from the long-term Issues list into a future quarter to convert it. When you move a Rock to a non-current column, we'll automatically change the status to Draft.
• Link to Goals: Connect your Rocks directly to Company or Team goals by clicking Link Goal.
• Rock Status: Use the latest Rock status, “Draft,” to label your future Rocks accurately.
• Guided Quarter-End Flow: Planning Board helps you mark complete, move, or archive Rocks before starting the next quarter.

How to Use the Planning Board

To open the Planning Board:

1. Click Rocks from the left navigation.
2. Click the Planning Board tab.

From there, you can select a team from the Team dropdown, filter by Rock Status, and adjust which team member's Rocks are displayed with the Users dropdown.

Linking Annual Goals

You can link any of your team's Rocks to goals from your V/TO tool. Here's how:

1. Click Link Goal on any Rock's card from the Planning Board page.
2. Click the checkbox on one or more of your team's goals.
3. Click Link items to Rocks.

 

Click here to learn how to document annual goals for your team.

 

Similarly, you can link your Rock to other Rocks, Milestones, To-Dos, Issues, or Headlines in Ninety.

 

 

Converting Long-Term Issues to Rocks

To convert an LTI into a Rock:

1. Drag a Long-Term Issue card Rock column.
2. Select what to do with the long-term Issue:
   1. Mark the Issue completed.
   2. Complete and archive the Issue.
3. Review the additional options, shown as checkboxes.
4. Click Confirm.

 

 

Note: While using the Planning Board, you cannot move long-term Issues to your team's short-term Issues list. If you need to do this, navigate to the Issues tool.

 

 

Using Planning Board in Meetings

The Planning Board tab is available within the Rocks tool during meetings. This allows teams to:

• Review upcoming quarter Rocks during Quarterly Planning Meetings.
• Plan and align on future Rocks during Annual Planning sessions.
• Transition Rocks from planning to active status as the quarter approaches.

Best Practice: Use the Rock planning segments of your Quarterly and Annual Planning Meetings to review and finalize Rocks in Planning Board before moving them to the current quarter.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)