A vague five-year plan became four 90-day goals with check-ins
SK
Senthil Kumar
ℹ️
Illustrative example — a written scenario showing how the tool is used, not a real customer testimonial.
Before
Senthil had wanted to move into a quality-manager role “in a few years” for most of a decade. There was no plan behind the sentence, so nothing ever started, and every appraisal ended with the same conversation.
What they logged
- One 90-day goal at a time, never more than two
- Milestones with real dates — Six Sigma module, internal audit certification
- A fortnightly check-in with a progress percentage and one honest note
- The “why” field, written once and re-read at every check-in
The moment it clicked
His third check-in note read “no progress, waited for manager approval” — identical to the second. Seeing the same sentence twice made him stop waiting and self-fund the first module.
What changed
| Measure | Before | After 18 months | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals with a written deadline | 0 | → | 4 completed |
| Certifications finished | none in 6 years | → | 2 in 18 months |
| Outcome | same role since 2019 | → | Deputy Manager, QA |
How they keep track now
Two check-ins a month, in the calendar, ten minutes each. A goal that misses two consecutive check-ins is either resized or closed — he refuses to let it sit at 20% forever.
“Writing the same excuse twice in a row is more embarrassing than writing the goal in the first place.” — Senthil Kumar, Hosur
🎯 Try the Goal Setter
Free, no card. Your data stays yours.
Open Goal Setter →
More Mind & Focus stories