Graphite’s guide to year-end company reviews lists eight key questions, starting with what you accomplished and ending with who will help you do it, and stresses looking beyond revenue and profit to projects, new markets, hires and mission. With about nine weeks left in 2026, that makes November the right month to build a review you will actually use.
This guide gives you a year-end business review template: the eight questions, a scorecard to fill in, a meeting agenda and a simple plan for the first quarter. It draws on Graphite. The template layout and example numbers are ours, so adapt them to your business.
Why Review Before the Year Ends
A year-end review gives you the facts before you plan. Without it, next year’s goals are guesses based on the last month’s memory.
Run the review in November or early December, while there is still time to act on what you learn. Our guide to OKRs versus KPIs can help you turn the results into goals.
The Eight Questions to Ask
Graphite’s eight questions form a simple structure. Use them as your agenda.
| # | Question (Graphite) | What to look at |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What did we accomplish this year? | Projects, new markets, launches, hires and progress on mission, not just revenue |
| 2 | What went well and what did not? | Results against goals, and the reasons for success or shortfall |
| 3 | What really made a difference? | The activities with the greatest impact, including unexpected ones |
| 4 | What are our mission, vision and values? | Whether daily decisions reflect them |
| 5 | Who is the one person we are serving? | Whether you solved your ideal customer’s problem |
| 6 | What should we do next year? | A few strategic priorities with realistic goals |
| 7 | How do we start strong in the first quarter? | Early wins and smaller steps |
| 8 | Who is going to help us do it? | People, skills and resources |
The Year-End Business Scorecard
Add numbers to the questions. Fill in this scorecard before your meeting. The rows are examples, so swap in what matters to your business.
| Area | Goal at start of year | Result | What we learned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue or sales | Write your figure | Write your figure | Write a sentence |
| Customers | Write your figure | Write your figure | Write a sentence |
| Profit or cash | Write your figure | Write your figure | Write a sentence |
| Team and hiring | Write your figure | Write your figure | Write a sentence |
| Products or projects | Write your figure | Write your figure | Write a sentence |
| Mission and values | Write a sentence | Write a sentence | Write a sentence |
Graphite reminds you to look beyond revenue and profit, so keep rows for team, projects and mission as well as money.
Run the Review Meeting
Keep the meeting to two hours. Share the scorecard in advance, and ask each person to bring one win and one lesson.
| Time | Agenda |
|---|---|
| 0 to 15 minutes | Review the scorecard |
| 15 to 45 minutes | Questions 1 to 3: results and what made a difference |
| 45 to 70 minutes | Questions 4 and 5: mission and customer |
| 70 to 100 minutes | Questions 6 to 8: priorities, first quarter and people |
| 100 to 120 minutes | Agree owners and dates |
If you run a SaaS business, pair this review with the numbers in our guide to SaaS metrics.
Turn the Review Into a Plan for the First Quarter
Graphite advises combining qualitative reflection with performance data to set a few priorities and realistic goals, and warns against aggressive stretch targets. It also suggests planning early wins in the first quarter and breaking larger projects into smaller, quickly completed steps.
| Priority | First quarter win | Owner | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority 1 | One result you can finish in 30 days | Name | Date |
| Priority 2 | One result you can finish in 60 days | Name | Date |
| Priority 3 | One result you can finish in 90 days | Name | Date |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not skip the lessons. A review that lists only wins teaches nothing. Do not set ten priorities, because three will get done and ten will not. And do not leave the meeting without owners and dates.
Finally, record decisions in writing and share them with the team. A review that lives only in conversation fades by the second week of January.
