Worksheet: Keep the forecast and the target as two numbers

When the forecast becomes the target, managers pad it and the top team adds the padding back. This sheet separates what a manager expects from what the business asks, and settles them in one meeting. It builds the Competent step of the check:

Targets and forecasts are separate numbers: the forecast is what the manager expects, the target is what the business asks, and a manager is not punished for an honest forecast.

Step 1. The forecast first

Manager	Measure	Forecast (what they expect)	Evidence	Proposed target	Evidence for the target
e.g. Region manager, north	Sales	$21.0m	Pipeline and last year's win rate	$22.5m	Two lapsed accounts back if terms reset

Step 2. One meeting to set the targets

Manager	Forecast	Proposed target	Top team's ask	Agreed target	Reason for any change

Step 3. Judge them apart

Number	Judged on	When
Forecast	Accuracy: how close it came	Each quarter
Target	Stretch: how far above the forecast it sat	At year end

Nobody is marked down for a forecast that proved right.

Under 50 people: ask for the forecast first, with its evidence. Keep the forecast and the target as two numbers.

Done when: each manager's forecast and target are recorded as separate numbers, and forecasts are reviewed for accuracy alone.

Written for this check.