Mattermost Leadership Team (MLT) consists of Mattermost department heads plus the CEO
Mattermost Leadership Team (MLT)
This section outlines:
Introduction to MLT
The operations of administrative, tactical, and strategic meetings
Process for alignment and cascading communications
Process for quarterly business reviews, planning, and board meetings
Introduction to MLT
Ian Tien: Co-Founder and CEO
Corey Hulen: Co-Founder and CTO
Tim Quock: VP, Finance
Chris Overton: VP, Engineering
Barry Duplantis: VP, Customer Success
Matt Harper: VP, Marketing
MLT Cadence
Biweekly Business Review (BBR)
Biweekly Tuesdays 10:00am to 10:50am Palo Alto time with MLT
Required attendees: MLT + extended team (TBD)
The purpose of BBR is to review the health of the business by reviewing our goals dashboard, identifying key risks/challenges/issues, and identifying owners for actions. Discussions held in MLT BBR Channel.
Pre-work
Dashboards emailed out Fridays by Amy Nicol, all attendees review and ask questions asynchronously if they have them.
By Monday at 12pm PT, key stakeholders add issues, challenges, and risk with next actions and asks to the team in the FRM doc.
Before the meeting on Tuesdays, all attendees have reviewed doc.
Process
(0:10) Review WBR Agenda Doc: Time for all to read data.
(0:15) MLT Good News: Always start with anyone wanting to share the good news, e.g., customer wins, new release delivered, new webpage launched, etc.
(0:55) Decisions/Actions: Summarize decisions/actions in writing
MLT Weekly Executive Meeting
Tuesdays 9:00am to 9:50pm Palo Alto time with MLT
Required attendees: MLT only + HR representative
The purpose of the MLT Weekly Executive Meeting is to discuss MLT topics like CEO updates, board-level topics, hiring, sensitive HR-related announcements, company-wide programs like annual reviews and compensation, staff top of mind, etc.
Ian to moderate through Asana.
MLT Weekly Deep Dive Meeting
Wednesdays 9:00am to 10:30am Palo Alto time with MLT
Required attendees: MLT only + extended team (as appropriate by topic)
The purpose of this new MLT Weekly Deep Dive series is to achieve a deeper understanding and clarity on functional areas and/or strategic topics through reviews, discussions, and decisions.
Topics are queued in a central spreadsheet and prioritized by the Vice-Chair. Examples of topics are Cloud MVP, DevOps Command Center launch, customer journey and packaging proposals, marketing OKRs, etc.
Pre-work
(Vice-Chair) Agenda drafted based on queued topics in a central Google Doc
(Owner) Prepare narrative document for the meeting
Process
Two slots of 45 minutes each. Typically two topics - one for each slot. However, bigger topics can occupy two slots
MLT reviews document for the first 15 minutes; discusses for the next 25 minutes to reach any decisions for clarity and closure
(Five minutes before end of slot) Decisions/actions are summarized
These meetings are cancelled if no topics are raised.
MLT Planning
The purpose of target setting is to confirm targets, plan and budget for MLT departments for the period.
The MLT plan consists of:
1.
Company and department fiscal year 1-page VPMOMs
2.
Quarterly plan, in the context of fiscal year VPMOM
3.
Financial plan, including revenue
4.
Headcount plan
We’re currently focused on quarterly plans and will move to halves.
Plan Expectations
Quarterly plans are locked for the quarter – Changeable only in MLT team meeting
Progress on quarter plans reviewed at the start of next quarter
Okay to reduce targets prior to 20 days before quarter end (except revenue & pipeline)
Quarterly plans are in context of annual VPMOM
Plan Process
Drafting MLT Plan
T-Minus 4 Weeks to announcement
The following should happen within a 2 week period, with 1 - 2 iterations in each step:
1.
CEO discusses company and department V2MOMs 1-1 with department heads to ensure alignment
If applicable during the period, Sales, CEO, and Finance set or adjust the revenue targets
2.
People meets with department heads to discuss current and future org structure
Include discussion on performance, potential and any FYIs
3.
Finance works with department heads to discuss headcount and program spend budget
Include budget variance
4.
Department heads social plans with their teams
Review WIP Plan
T-Minus 2 Weeks to announcement
At Monthly Strategic Meeting:
WIP V2MOMs, quarterly plan and proposed orgs reviewed by MLT
MLT shares feedback on each V2MOM and quarterly plan
Cross-department dependencies documented
Draft agenda
Review of MLT Plan Process
Company V2MOM and Q2 plan
Sales V2MOM, Q2 plan, and proposed org
R&D V2MOM, Q2 plan, and proposed org
Marketing V2MOM, Q2 plan, and proposed org
Customer Success V2MOM, Q2 plan, and proposed org
Finance V2MOM, Q2 plan, and proposed org
People V2MOM, Q2 plan, and proposed org
MLT socializes updates to high-level plan with their departments
Finalize plan
T-Minus 1 week to announcement
Company and V2MOMs updated given feedback
Financial plan adjusted
Headcount approvals published
Plan Shared
Week of announcement
Company V2MOM shared at all-hands
Department V2MOMs are posted
MLT presents company plan to their departments
Quarterly Business Review (QBR)
Each quarter we review process towards our V2MOMs and discuss achievements and opportunities. The QBR is an exercise to increase output through concise, efficient review of quarterly goals for company and department in the context of V2MOMs.
Time and people
Scheduled 1 week after quarter end and can be broken out into:
90 mins for Sales QBR (30 mins for each region)
45 mins CS QBR
2 hours for MLT QBR (30 mins each for Product, Engineering, G&A, and Marketing)
Prior to meeting
Materials for QBR agenda are shared by Friday prior to the QBR meeting.
(Each department head) Reviews quarterly goals in the context of V2MOMs, including the following (25 minutes per person, including 5 minutes for review, 5 minutes for MLT to share written feedback, and 15 minutes for discussion):
Goals for previous quarter
Previous quarter achievements and opportunities
Goals for current quarter
Cross-department dependencies
Hiring plan and org chart
(MLT) Product strategy discussion (30 minutes)
(MLT) Review of actions and follow-ups (10 minutes)
(MLT) Review of cascading communication (10 minutes)
QBR Follow-ups
As reviews happen, follow-up items are noted in RAPID format and meetings scheduled based on RAPID assignments.
Board Meetings
Between 21st and end of the month
Scheduled 18 months in advance
Board deck is sent to Board three calendar days before Board meeting
Meeting Structure
1.
General session: Includes leads from Mattermost team, usually sales, occasionally CS, product
2.
Closed session: VP Finance and CEO update Board
3.
CEO and Board: Board gives feedback to CEO
4.
Board without CEO: Board discusses feedback among themselves, then one board member delivers feedback to CEO
Debrief Calls
1.
25 minute debrief scheduled with each board member same day or the day after board meeting via their admins
2.
One hour debrief with MLT scheduled same day after board meeting
Fiscal Year Planning (1%)
Preparation for the annual plan and budget for the next fiscal year begins in the second half of the current fiscal year.
Q3 Planning for Next Fiscal Year
In Q3 we have three goals:
1.
50% VPMOM for company and departments based on our latest thinking
2.
Prioritized issues to solve before we lock 99% plan at end of Q4–largely coming from Obstacles in 50% VPMOM
3.
After aligning with MLT, begin to discuss 50% VPMOMs with departments to develop into 99% in Q4
Typically there is not pressure for budget or headcount discussions in Q3, focus is strategy.
Q3 Punchlist for Next Fiscal Year Planning
1.
The company 3-year aspirations are reviewed
2.
A 1% MLT V2MOM for next fiscal year is drafted by CEO and reviewed with MLT department heads
3.
Department heads draft 1% Department V2MOMs for next fiscal year and review with peer stakeholders and CEO
4.
At Q3 Planning Offsite, MLT reviews 50% MLT V2MOM for next fiscal year developed from 1% draft
5.
At Q3 Planning Offsite, department heads present 50% Department V2MOMs, reviewed by peer stakeholders and CEO
6.
Action items are documented and developed around Obstacles to success of next fiscal year
7.
50% MLT and Department V2MOMs, plus Obstacles, are presented to department leaders
Q4 Planning for Next Fiscal Year
The focus of Q4 is arriving at a 99% draft of the plan for next fiscal with alignment across MLT and departments, with key Obstacles mitigated, and headcount and budgets reviewed.
1.
MLT and middle managers work through key Obstacles for next fiscal year
2.
Finance works with MLT to draft financials plan for next fiscal year
3.
CEO works with MLT to develop MLT V2MOM from 50% to 99%
4.
Department heads work with their teams, peer stakeholders, and CEO to develop Department V2MOM from 50% to 99%
5.
99% MLT V2MOM is reviewed by MLT and agreed
6.
99% Department V2MOMs are reviewed by MLT peers and CEO and agreed
7.
Plan for next fiscal year is locked based on V2MOMs
MLT V2MOM Review Process
V2MOMs, quarterly plans, and proposed orgs are reviewed by MLT. Use the following order to review V2MOMs:
Vision
Values
Methods
Obstacles
Measures
MLT shares feedback on each V2MOM and quarterly plan. Cross-department dependencies documented.