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Hoshin Kanri Planner
Turn this year's targets into commitments each team has argued for and agreed, and find projects that serve none of them.
This tool also runs as a stage in a playbook, which takes you through several tools in order:
- Execute a business strategy Stage 4 of 5: who commits to what this year? Start at stage 1
Not following the playbook?
This year's targets
Changes from stage 3, due before the targets
A target the change puts at risk waits until the change is made.
Who commits to the targets
The people who will agree a target for their part of the work: department heads, team leads, or an outside partner such as an agency or a distributor. Each one speaks for their team.
Your notes never leave your browser
Objectives, teams, targets and projects stay on your computer and in your progress file. To write the diagnosis, only counts and statuses are sent to our server, by place in your lists. How it works
Agree each target by catchball
Leadership proposes, the team replies with what it can commit to, and you note whether both agreed, and on what. A target is signed only once both agree.
Projects taking money or people this year (optional)
Pick an initiative from the scorecard, which fills its owner and target, or type any other project: a new office, a system upgrade, a pet project. Say which target each one serves. One that serves none is a candidate to stop.
Who commits to what this year
The catchball
Projects this year
Save your progress
Download your progress file to continue from this point any time, on any computer: choose it under "Coming back?" at the start of the tool. Each new file includes everything so far, including the earlier stages when they are connected, so keep the latest one. Your work stays in this browser only until you close it.
Not saved yet.
Take your results with you
A PDF of who commits to what, the catchball, the projects, and the diagnosis.
About the tool
Why it exists
Targets a team has argued for, not targets handed down
Hoshin Kanri takes a few long-term objectives, sets this year's step toward each, and passes the targets down the organization by negotiation, called catchball, rather than by order. The agreed result fits on one page with the projects and owners that serve it.
This tool works on its own, and as stage 4 of our playbook for executing a business strategy, where it picks up the scorecard from stage 2 and the changes from stage 3. For the method, see our guide to Hoshin Kanri.
The method
How the tool works
Three terms. A breakthrough objective is a three-to-five-year goal from the strategy. The yearly objective is this year's step toward it. Catchball: each level proposes, the next replies with what it can commit to, until both agree.
Signed only when both agree. A target counts as signed when leadership and the team have agreed it. A target that depends on a change from stage 3 still to be made waits for it.
Projects against the targets. Each project taking money or people this year is matched to the target it serves; one that serves none is a candidate to stop, as on a Hoshin X-matrix.
What leaves your computer. What you write stays in your browser and your progress file. To write the diagnosis, the page sends our server only counts and statuses, by place in your lists, and the server keeps nothing.