--- layout: handbook-page-toc title: "Cadence" --- ## On this page {:.no_toc .hidden-md .hidden-lg} - TOC {:toc .hidden-md .hidden-lg} ## Overview Everything in a company happens in a certain cadence. The period of each cadence differs. The timescale between periods are about 4x, varying from 3x to 5x. Below are the cadences we have at GitLab: 1. Day 1. Week (5 workdays) 1. Month (4.3 weeks) 1. Quarter (3 months) 1. Year (4 quarters) 1. Strategy (3 years) 1. Vision (10 years, 3.3x) 1. Mission (30 years, 3x) ## Year at a Glance ```mermaid gantt title Year Overview dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD section Fiscal Year at a Glance FY starts :2020-02-01, 1d End of Q1 :2020-05-31, 1d End of Q2 :2020-08-31, 1d End of Q3 :2020-11-31, 1d End of Q4 :2021-01-31, 1d section Major Events SKO :2020-02-10, 5d section E Group Offsite February :2020-02-24, 4d May :2020-05-18, 4d August (date estimated) :2020-08-17, 4d November (date estimated) :2020-11-16, 4d section Board Meeting Prep led by CoS :2020-02-14, 21d March :2020-03-05, 1d Prep led by CoS :2020-05-14, 21d June (date estimated) :2020-06-05, 1d Prep led by CoS :2020-08-14, 21d September (date estimated) :2020-09-05, 1d Prep led by CoS :2020-11-14, 21d December (date estimated) :2020-12-05, 1d section Monthly Releases 12.7 :2020-01-22, 1d 12.8 :2020-02-22, 1d 12.9 :2020-03-22, 1d 12.10 :2020-04-22, 1d 12.11 :2020-05-22, 1d 13.0 :2020-06-22, 1d 13.1 :2020-07-22, 1d 13.2 :2020-08-22, 1d 13.3 :2020-09-22, 1d 13.4 :2020-10-22, 1d 13.5 :2020-11-22, 1d 13.6 :2020-12-22, 1d section OKR OKR prep :2020-03-30, 31d next FQ starts :2020-05-01, 1d OKR prep :2020-06-30, 31d next FQ starts :2020-08-01, 1d OKR prep :2020-08-30, 31d next FQ starts :2020-10-01, 1d section Sales Key Dates Q2 QBRs :2020-05-04, 4d Q3 QBRs :2020-08-04, 4d Q4 QBRs :2020-11-04, 4d Q1 QBRs :2021-02-04, 4d section Compensation Review Cycle Audit FY 2021 Annual Compensation Review :2020-02-01 Canada Benefits Implementation :2020-02-01 Job Family Alignment :2020-03-01 Compensation Philosophy Training :2020-04-01 Benefits Survey Released FY21 :2020-06-01 Benefits Survey Results FY21 Analyzed :2020-07-01 Catch-up Compensation Review Manager Review :2020-08-01 Catch-up Compensation Review :2020-09-01 Compensation Training :2020-10-01 Compa Group Review :2020-11-01 Annual Comp Review Inputs Evaluated/Proposed to Compensation Group for FY22 :2020-12-01 section People Dates D&I Survey :2020-02-27, 14d Code of Conduct Acknowledgement :2020-03-01, 30d Engagement Survey (date estimated) :2020-04-27, 14d 360s :2020-04-30, 30d Engagement Survey(estimated) :2020-10-26, 14d ``` ## Day - [Group conversation](/handbook/people-group/group-conversations/) - [Company call](/handbook/communication/#company-call) - [Breakout call](/handbook/communication/#breakout-call) ## Week - [1-1 cadence with reports](/handbook/leadership/1-1/) - Measure growth of early startup, 10% WoW, [for example Meltano](https://meltano.com/docs/roadmap.html#maui) ## Month - [Metrics call](/handbook/finance/operating-metrics/#key-monthly-review) - [Release](/releases/) - [Retrospective](/handbook/communication/#kickoffs) - [Most KPIs](/handbook/business-ops/data-team/metrics/) ## Quarter - [OKRs](/company/okrs/) - [Board meeting](/handbook/board-meetings/#board-meeting-process) - Sales targets (in [Clari](/handbook/business-ops/tech-stack/#clari)) - [E-group offsite](/handbook/ceo/offsite/) ## Year - [4 quarter rolling forecast](/handbook/finance/financial-planning-and-analysis/#financial-planning--gitlab) - [Annual plan](/handbook/finance/financial-planning-and-analysis/#annual-plan) - Most of [Direction](/direction/) ## Strategy 3 years - Most of [strategy](/company/strategy/) - Some of [Direction](/direction/) - [Option vesting](/handbook/stock-options/#vesting) after cliff of 1 year is passed - Average retention of team members is around 3 years, with reduced [turnover](/handbook/people-group/people-operations-metrics/#team-member-turnover) (<16%). See [actual reports](/handbook/people-group/people-operations-metrics/#reporting) ## Vision 10 years - [Product vision](/direction/#vision) - Time needed for category creation - [Investor fund time limit](https://www.strictlybusinesslawblog.com/2017/06/29/the-life-cycle-of-a-private-equity-or-venture-capital-fund/) - Commitment of DZ ## Mission 30 years - Time to realize [our mission](/company/strategy/#mission) - [BHAG](/company/strategy/#big-hairy-audacious-goal) - [Lifespan of the average company](https://www.bbc.com/news/business-16611040), 10 years to get into the S&P500, then 15 in it, and 5 of decline for a total of 30 - [Lifespan of Amazon](https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardkestenbaum/2018/11/16/amazon-is-not-too-big-to-fail-bezos/#65fba0621626) "Amazon is not too big to fail...In fact, I predict one day Amazon will fail. Amazon will go bankrupt. If you look at large companies, their lifespans tend to be 30-plus years, not a hundred-plus years." - [Generation is also 30 years](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10677323)