Annual Review
and Planning

Reflection & Journaling Tools

A three-part review of the year behind you and the year ahead -
what happened, what it means, and where you are going.

Using This Planner

A year contains more than you remember at the end of it. The things that went well fade faster than the things that went wrong. The objectives you set in January get buried under the ones you added in April. The development you planned gets deferred until there is a better time, which does not arrive.

This planner works through three distinct questions in sequence: what happened, how your objectives fared, and what you are committing to next. The middle section - reviewing objectives - is where most leaders move too quickly. It is easy to mark something as complete or carry it forward without asking whether the objective still matters, whether the criteria changed, or whether a different objective replaced it in practice. That honest accounting is what makes the third section - new objectives - grounded rather than aspirational.

The three sections are meant to be completed in order in a single session. Allow 30-45 minutes without interruption.

How to Use This Planner

Start with reflection, not evaluation. Section 1 asks what went well and what was hard. Write before you judge. A full list is more useful than a curated one.
Use Section 2 as an audit, not a performance review. The objectives column is for what you actually set. The comments column is for honest notes about what happened - met, revised, or still open.
Carry forward deliberately. "Projects to be carried over" is not a dumping ground. If something keeps carrying over, ask whether it belongs on next year's list at all.
Make new objectives SMART. The third column prompts you to check each new objective against SMART criteria. If you cannot answer "yes" for a given objective, it needs more specificity before it is a real commitment.
Close with development. The professional development field at the end is not a bonus section - it is how objectives actually get met. Identify the specific capability gaps this year's new objectives will require.

Year:

Name:

Part 1: Reflection

Reflect on the previous 12 months and assess what has gone well and what challenges you may have encountered.

What has gone well over the last 12 months

What challenges have you experienced

Learning points for future business goals

Part 2: Review of Objectives

Review your objectives over the last 12 months, noting down where objectives have been met, where they may have changed, or may be carried over into the next year.

Objectives	Comments

Projects to be carried over to the next year

Part 3: New Objectives

What new objectives will you set yourself for the next 12 months? How will you implement them and do you have any new development needs?

Objectives	Target Date	SMART?

Professional Development aligned to objectives

After the Review

Use these questions in a coaching conversation after completing the three parts.

Reflection Prompts

Looking at your reflection in Part 1 and your new objectives in Part 3 - is there a connection between what was hard this year and what you are committing to next year? What does that tell you?
Of the projects you carried forward, how many have appeared on a previous year's list? What would have to change for one of them to actually close?
Which new objective in Part 3 depends most heavily on someone else's behavior or decision? How are you planning for that dependency?

Tandem Coaching Partners

Credentialed coaches with real-world leadership experience,
partnering with executives and organizations
to unlock sustainable growth.

Consultation

tandemcoach.co/
contact-us

Email

info@tandemcoach.co

Phone

855 51 COACH

Challenge your thinking.
Discover your capabilities.
Act on them.

Dallas, TX | Houston, TX | Worldwide Virtual

Annual Reviewand Planning