Some company goal setting can be a copy and paste of last year’s goals – ready to move the needle? Well, you can: Stop setting goals. Start making space. The problem isn’t your goals. It’s that you never cleared capacity to achieve them.
The Start-Stop-Continue Framework
This dead-simple planning method originated as a feedback tool in the 1970s and became a cornerstone of Agile retrospectives. It works because it forces one brutal truth: Every “yes” requires a “no.”
Three questions. 30 minutes. Transforms your year.
STOP: What’s Draining Resources Without Results?
List what you’re currently doing that should end. Be ruthless.
Common offenders:
- Manual processes eating 15-20% of team capacity
- “We’ve always done it” reports and emails nobody reads
- Low-margin services distracting from core business
- Meetings that exist out of habit, not need
- Manually crafted client and vendor communications
The math: If 20% of your 20-person team’s time goes to waste, that’s 4 FTE equivalents = $300K-400K in annual wasted capacity.
START: What Will Actually Move the Needle?
List new initiatives worth your best resources. Be selective.
High-impact starts:
- Operations automation that frees 15-25% capacity
- Systems that eliminate “where’s my order?” inquiries
- Processes that reduce turnaround time on complex orders
- Technology to keep from retyping in multiple systems
- Workflows enabling remote work flexibility
The math: Freeing 20% capacity = handling 25-40% more revenue with same headcount, better margins.
CONTINUE: What’s Actually Working?
List what’s delivering results. Protect it fiercely.
Worth protecting:
- High-margin services aligned with strategy
- Efficient processes your team doesn’t complain about
- Technology investments showing clear ROI
- Team practices that standardize client experience
- Client relationships driving profitable growth
The rule: If something makes the “continue” list, this is likely an add to your operating model.
Your 30-Minute Year-End Planning Session
Minute 1-10: STOP List
Write everything you should stop doing. No justification needed yet – do it in ‘brainstorming’ mode.
Prompts:
- What would we stop if we were honest?
- What drains resources without clear ROI?
- What do we complain about but keep doing?
- What is keeping us ‘behind the pack’?
Minute 11-20: START List
Write new initiatives that solve real problems or capture real opportunities.
Prompts:
- What can we do to eliminate bottlenecks?
- What do competitors do better?
- What manual work could be automated?
Minute 21-25: CONTINUE List
Write what’s genuinely working and worth protecting.
Prompts:
- What delivers measurable results?
- What would we be crazy to stop?
- What gives us competitive advantage?
Minute 26-30: Calculate Resource Net
Simple formula:
| Category | Start (Hours Needed) | Stop (Hours Freed) | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projects | +500 | -350 | +150 |
| Meetings | +50 | -40 | +10 |
| Services | +300 | -200 | +100 |
| Total | +850 | -590 | +260 hours needed |
Decision point:
- 260 hours = 0.13 FTE (hire part-time)
- OR improve efficiency to free 260 hours
- OR pause one “Start” until capacity available
Why This Works (And Goal-Setting Alone Isn’t Enough)
Traditional planning: “Let’s grow 30%!”
Reality: No capacity to execute.
Start-Stop-Continue: “Let’s free up 300 hours by stopping XYZ, then deploy it to growth goal ABC.”
Reality: When capacity exists, then growth happens.
You can’t strategy your way out of an operations problem.
The 2026 Execution Plan
Week 1 (First week of January):
- Review Start-Stop-Continue lists with full team
- Assign owners to each “Stop” (end it by Jan 31)
- Assign owners to each “Start” (begin by Feb 15)
- Document each “Continue” (protect from budget cuts)
Week 2:
- Execute a Start item
- Execute a Stop item
Monthly – then Quarterly:
- Update Start-Stop-Continue (it evolves)
- Track hours freed vs. hours needed
- Celebrate “Stop” wins (ending waste matters)
The Bottom Line
Most teams fail because they ADD without SUBTRACTING. You end up doing everything poorly.
The math is simple:
- Stop 10 low-value activities = Free 400 hours
- Start 5 high-value activities = Need 300 hours
- Net: 100 hours freed for growth
Real-life scenario: One operations team stopped manual report generation (200 hrs/month), stopped low-margin service (150 hrs/month), stopped weekly status meeting replaced by dashboard (30 hrs/month). Total freed: 380 hours/month = 4,560 hours/year = 2.2 FTEs without hiring.
They started automation (handled 35% more orders), started remote hiring (accessed nationwide talent), started process documentation (cut onboarding 60%).
Result: 42% revenue growth, 1 new hire instead of 5, margins up 9 points.
That’s what happens when you make space before setting goals.
Your Turn
Block 30 minutes this week. Do the exercise. Share with your team.
The teams that do this enter 2026 with clarity, capacity, and momentum.
The teams that don’t? Likely will will not move the needle.
Choose differently this year.
Keywords: year-end planning, business planning strategy, operational efficiency, capacity planning, resource optimization, stop doing list, business process improvement, strategic planning framework, team productivity, agile retrospective, end of year review
Source: Start-Stop-Continue framework originated as a feedback tool in the 1970s, widely adopted in Agile retrospectives for continuous improvement (Start-Stop-ContinueBlog; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SKS_process)