Know what changed, what needs attention and who is following through.
A delayed hire, slower collections or an overdue commitment can affect your time and cash before the next quarterly meeting. Monthly ownership review brings current information and the same Game Plan together so you can respond.
You and the person carrying CEO responsibility consider the company picture against your Scorecard and North Star. You may hold both roles. Make time for the ownership questions and keep each operating commitment assigned.
Three functional reviews prepare the ownership conversation
| Sequence | Meeting | What it brings forward |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | CRO and CEO | Revenue, customers, pipeline and the sales outlook. |
| Week 2 | CFO and CEO | Financial results, cash and the current forecast. |
| Week 3 | COO and CEO | Delivery, capacity, margins and operating commitments. |
| Week 4 | Owner and CEO | The integrated company picture, ownership goals and decisions. |
Use your actual reporting dates to set the calendar. The four views explain how the work connects; the milestone assesses the recurring owner-and-CEO review and follow-through. You do not need to hire three executives to begin.
Each function brings its current dashboard, explanation of results and recommendation. It reviews one quarterly improvement for the function and one development priority for its leader. Those are distinct from the owner’s Roadmap score. The CEO combines the recommendations before asking ownership to approve a commitment.
Suppose the CRO wants to accelerate sales, the COO needs delivery capacity and the CFO sees a tight cash month. The ownership conversation needs the combined choice: what can be delivered and funded, and what does that mean for your time and distributions?
Prepare the financial explanation and Game Plan
Schedule the next twelve owner-and-CEO reviews and name the people preparing the information. A 60-minute review is a useful starting point; allow 90 when needed. The required work governs, rather than a fixed meeting length.
The financial lead prepares or reviews the CFO memo, the explanation accompanying the financial reports. Receive it at least three business days ahead. Plan for three to five; earlier delivery counts if it is current. Identify the reporting cutoff, closed or preliminary status, source period, budget and forecast version.
The memo should explain actual results against the same period’s budget, material differences, cash movement and obligations ahead. Keep calculations in The Numbers. An existing reporting package can perform this job; an AI draft still needs the financial lead’s review.
Update the current Game Plan’s three outcomes with dated evidence from the people responsible. Preserve the original completion conditions. Open the last meeting’s commitments and check what happened. A revised date should retain the previous promise and the reason for the change.
Read profit and cash as different parts of the same story
Keep actuals, the adopted budget and the current forecast distinguishable. Updating the outlook should not erase what the team originally committed to. Compare matching periods, then follow the material differences into the supporting reports.
In a hypothetical month, a budget of $800,000 revenue at a 35% gross margin produces $280,000 gross profit. Actual revenue of $760,000 at 37% produces $281,200. Revenue missed by $40,000 while gross profit improved by $1,200. The next question is whether pricing, mix or delivery cost explains the result and what that means for the months ahead.
Then follow profit through cash. Receivables, inventory, supplier payments, capital spending, debt and owner payments affect the amount available. A better margin does not prove that customers have paid or that a distribution is affordable. Keep material limitations visible with a person, treatment and review date.
Run all three acts and record the next check
1. Ground as the owner. Open the Scorecard and North Star. Rate clarity about Time, Cash Flow and Wealth from 1 to 7 each, an Alignment total out of 21. Explain the uncertainty behind the rating. Discuss the financial pre-read and the CEO’s combined recommendation.
2. Check the current Game Plan. Review each original outcome, its evidence and what remains. An outcome may be on track, behind, complete or not yet known. Identify whether the obstacle is capacity, authority, information, a dependency or a changed assumption. Assign the next action and support without rewriting “done” to make the result look better.
3. Decide and reset. Continue for a supported reason, change an operating action or make an ownership decision. Record the reason, person and role, due date, return date and status. A due date says when work is needed; a return date says when you will review what happened. There is no quota of new decisions or universal cash threshold.
Rate closing Alignment honestly. An unchanged or lower rating may reflect a useful discovery. Clarity, operating results and installed capabilities answer different questions. An urgent obligation needs timely attention; the next quarterly date is not a reason to wait.
Complete three consecutive monthly reviews
The four actions below establish the practice. Suitable existing agendas and records count. One or two strong meetings, three invitations or a sample packet do not replace three actual months of evidence.
Open the four actions and their completion requirements
1. Schedule twelve owner and CEO meetings
Set the next twelve dates and agree who prepares the CFO memo, current Game Plan update and agenda. When following the iBD Tuesday rhythm, CRO reviews first, CFO second, COO third and ownership fourth.
Question to work through: When will you review the business as an owner, and who will have the information ready?
What shows it is complete: Recurring dates, agenda and named preparation responsibilities; the person carrying the financial role is identified even if no separate CFO has been hired.
2. Prepare the financial reports and Game Plan update
Receive the CFO memo at least three business days ahead. Read actuals against budget, the current forecast and cash position, the functional reports and progress against the same quarterly outcomes.
Plan for three to five business days. Earlier delivery counts if the information remains current. Use the company business-day calendar and record the reporting cutoff, delivery date and meeting date. A late or materially incomplete first delivery does not meet the requirement; review material later corrections with the finance lead and meeting owner.
Question to work through: What needs your attention, and what decision does the information support?
What shows it is complete: Dated financial pre-read, source period and version, delivery timing, material limitations and current Game Plan update. No unsupported financial assurance.
3. Review goals and progress, then record decisions
Ground in your Time, Cash Flow and Wealth goals and rate Alignment honestly. Read the financial signals, check the Game Plan, then make or assign the ownership decisions. Rate Alignment again and record decisions, named people and return dates.
Question to work through: What changed, who needs to act, and what will you check next month?
What shows it is complete: Actual meeting record, opening/closing clarity ratings, evidence considered, decisions and follow-up. Continue an on-track plan with reasons; urgent ownership issues are handled before the next quarter when needed.
4. Complete three consecutive monthly reviews and follow up
Run the process for three consecutive months. Begin later meetings by checking previous decisions and commitments. Complete, revise or escalate them with reasons.
Question to work through: Show what happened after the last meeting. Did the responsibility stay with the person assigned?
What shows it is complete: Three consecutive monthly records with timely memos, all three acts, honest Alignment ratings and decisions with named people and return dates; actual follow-up and the next meeting date.
Review the milestone-specific 0–3 score and evidence test
0 (Not Started). You have not yet demonstrated the monthly ownership review method or begun preparing a recurring monthly ownership meeting.
1 (Learning). You can explain the three acts, the CFO pre-read, the Game Plan review, the opening and closing Alignment ratings and the decision record. You have not begun setting up the practice.
2 (In Progress). You have begun scheduling, preparing or running monthly ownership meetings. One or more checklist actions remain incomplete, including the evidence for three consecutive months and decision follow-up.
3 (Installed). All four checklist actions are met. You have held monthly ownership meetings for three consecutive months, with CFO memos at least three business days ahead, all three acts and honest opening and closing Alignment ratings. Decisions have named people and return dates; later meetings show what happened. Operating work stays assigned to the person responsible, including when the owner currently holds that role.
Verification test: Show the last three consecutive monthly records and their dated CFO pre-reads. Walk through the most recent financial and Game Plan review, opening and closing Alignment ratings, decisions and return dates. Show what happened to a prior commitment. An agenda, a rising clarity rating or three calendar invitations cannot establish an installed practice.
Review suitable existing work before making more documents. Record each action as complete, incomplete or not reviewed, with its evidence and date. You choose the score; keep peer, coach and AI assessments and their reasons separate. Unreviewed evidence is not an automatic zero. A checklist percentage, prepared AI response or future invitation does not establish installation. Preserve earlier reviews and name the next useful action and review date.
Keep the same commitments visible next month
The next meeting begins with prior decisions. Complete, revise or escalate them with evidence and reasons. Leave responsibility with the assigned person, including when you currently hold that operating role.
The Owner and CEO Monthly Review brings the agenda, Game Plan check-in and decisions together. The separate CRO, CFO and COO tools prepare their views. The same one-page 90-Day Game Plan is adopted quarterly and reviewed each month. There is no need to maintain several competing answers.
Save dated records in The Rhythm. Update adopted goals and commitments in The Plan, financial support in The Numbers and responsibilities in Your Leadership Team. If you worked on paper, assign and check the transfer of adopted changes. Private owner and personnel information stays with the appropriate participants.
The Quarterly Boardroom uses this monthly evidence to close the quarter. The annual reset renews direction and develops the next budget. Keep using the Playbook while Sustainable Financials strengthens the information behind your decisions.
Explore the idea further
- What a Great CFO Actually Does with Pat Hobby, episode 438. Move from accurate reports to recommendations that help the owner decide.
- The Only Financial Model You Will Ever Need with Ryan Tansom, episode 472. Connect the statements to ownership goals, investment and cash. Current workbook guidance governs the actual model.
- Redefining the CEO Role with Joel Trammell, episode 422. Connect responsibility to the authority and goals needed to carry it.
Choose your next step
Review the wider system. The Ownership Assessment helps you examine the capabilities behind your plan and choose useful work. Keep evidence you have not reviewed visible rather than treating it as a zero.
Build the Playbook with support. The 90-Day Boardroom Blueprint connects ownership direction, the financial foundation and decisions in your first usable Playbook. Continuing use builds from there. You can explore help directly; completing the Assessment is not a prerequisite.
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