Monthly Heartbeat
Understanding the Monthly Project Heartbeat process
What is a Monthly Heartbeat?
A Monthly Heartbeat is a concise, written reflection (400–600 words) that creates disciplined monthly reflection rhythm across all Axioned project groups. It ensures every PM-led team captures progress, learns from experience, and improves delivery with precision and ownership.
Adapted from Basecamp's "Reflect every 6 weeks: Heartbeats", but tuned for Axioned's monthly client retainers and delivery rhythm.
Purpose & Benefits
Heartbeats replace generic reporting with structured learning. They:
- Keep teams and leadership aligned on what actually matters
- Capture lessons while they're fresh - not after the fact
- Replace ad-hoc reporting with structured, high-signal reflection
- Build a habit of reflection-driven improvement
- Enable data-informed management decisions
- Surface risks early, while they can still be addressed
- Strengthen accountability and communication hygiene
What Heartbeats Answer
Each heartbeat addresses four key questions:
- What have we achieved this month?
- What problems did we face — and how did we solve or experiment around them?
- What did we learn (from outcomes, experiments, or client signals)?
- What's next — and what are we testing or betting on next month?
Key Characteristics
- Not a status dump - it's a high-context, solution-oriented reflection
- Honest but constructive - focuses on cause and action, not symptom and result
- Specific, not generic - describes experiments, trade-offs, and learnings
- Direct, not defensive - written like an operator, not a reporter
Golden Rule
- Describe the problem and what you did about it.
- Avoid symptoms, mere observations, or empty optimism.
- The value is in the clarity of thought — not the volume of words.
Related Documentation
For step-by-step instructions on creating and submitting heartbeats, see the Monthly Heartbeat SOP.
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