Commitments
An object of its own for recurring work
A commitment is a routine with an owner.Each occurrence is followed up on its own.
In Kalends the commitment sits beside goals, projects, KPIs and pages. It belongs to an area of responsibility and describes work the area has to do again and again: the close, the controls, the contract deadlines and the reports.
Why not in the calendar? That is usually where it lives today, as a recurring event in one person's calendar. But the day passes whether or not the work was done, and nobody else can see it. When the person leaves, changes role or is off sick, the routine has to be handed over by hand and risks getting lost on the way.
CommitmentVAT return
Finance›Accurate financial reporting
Belongs to an areaAnd often to a directive: the requirement in the area that the work meets.
An ownerAnd co-responsible people. When nobody is named, whoever answers for the area is responsible.
A rhythmEvery week, month, quarter or year, or a single date.
A reminder in timeTo the owner, or to the stand-in during an absence.
Occurrences
12 AugSigned offLina · 11 Aug
12 SepSigned off lateLina · 16 Sep
12 OctSigned offLina · 9 Oct
12 NovUp nextSign off
Each occurrence on its ownOn time, late, skipped with a reason or overdue. The same shows in every view.
Sign-off with evidenceCannot be changed afterwards, and can require a second signature from someone else.
- 1
Belongs to an areaAnd often to a directive: the requirement in the area that the work meets.
- 2
An ownerAnd co-responsible people. When nobody is named, whoever answers for the area is responsible.
- 3
A rhythmEvery week, month, quarter or year, or a single date.
- 4
A reminder in timeTo the owner, or to the stand-in during an absence.
- 5
Each occurrence on its ownOn time, late, skipped with a reason or overdue. The same shows in every view.
- 6
Sign-off with evidenceCannot be changed afterwards, and can require a second signature from someone else.
From requirement to work
Every area of responsibility breaks down into the ongoing work
The organisation places requirements on the area.The commitments are the work that meets them.
A directive says what the area must uphold. Under it are the commitments, each with an owner. So you see what the area consists of, and whether a requirement has no work behind it.
Area of responsibility
Finance
Sam is responsible
4 directives
6 commitments
Requirements · directives
Ongoing work · commitments
Accurate financial reporting
CommitmentBank reconciliationMonthly
CommitmentVAT returnMonthly
CommitmentMonth-end closeMonthly
Control over payments
CommitmentApproval reviewQuarterly
Contracts and insurance are watched
CommitmentInsurance reviewYearly
CommitmentNotice on the office leaseYearly
Archiving under the Bookkeeping Act
No commitments yet. The requirement has no work.
The areaWhere somebody answers for an outcome, such as Finance, HR or IT and security.
The directiveA requirement the area must uphold. With a KPI and a limit it shows whether it holds.
The commitmentThe ongoing work that keeps the requirement met, with an owner and a rhythm.
The difference
How is a commitment different from a task?
Projects and goals move the business forward.Commitments keep it running.
Tasks belong to projects and goals: temporary initiatives meant to change the business. Commitments, by contrast, keep it running day to day. They are the routines that come back in the area.
Task
Done once.
Once it is done, it is finished.
ExampleExport the customer register
Commitment
Recurring.
Each occurrence is followed up on its own, and the next is already up.
ExampleVAT return
What you gain
From routines in someone's head to responsibility you can see
Reminded before, notified when late.The sign-off cannot be changed afterwards.
One occurrence of the VAT return, from reminder to sign-off. Every commitment works this way.
7 Sep
Reminder
KVAT returnDue 12 Sep
Lina is reminded five days before. If she is away, the reminder goes to her stand-in.
15 Sep
Overdue
3 days overdueFinance
Lina and Sam are notified. It stays overdue in the area until it is signed off.
16 Sep
Signed off
Lina and SamCannot be changed
With a note and evidence, and Sam's second signature. Everything is kept in History, year after year.
On the phone
Kalends is an app too
Reminders and overdue work arrive as push notifications. A tap opens the occurrence, where it can be signed off straight away.
Tuesday 15 September
08:00
The overview
The whole chain of responsibility in one place
Every area shows its outcome.What has no owner shows at once.
Per area: how many commitments it has, how many are done on time and what is overdue now.
The overview
About KPIs →Gaps in responsibility showThe overview counts commitments without an owner, so the gap shows before anything is left lying.
Overdue work staysWhat is late stays in the area's outcome until it is signed off or skipped with a reason.
Everything is in HistoryWhat was done, by whom, when and against which evidence, year after year.
How to get started
How to take stock of responsibility
Start with one area and what matters most there. The rest of the business can follow one area at a time.
- 1
Draw the areasWhere somebody answers for an outcome, such as Finance, HR and IT and security, with an owner and ideally a deputy.
- 2
Add the commitmentsFrom a template pack, from a document you already have, or type them in yourselves. You review the proposals before anything is created.
- 3
Follow up and see the gapsThe overview shows per area what is done on time and what is late, and shows what has no owner.
- 4
Give the area an agentAn AI agent helps with running and upkeep. It takes up what has been left lying, and you decide.
Company operating calendarISO 9001 annual cycleISO 27001 and NIS2HR annual wheel2 more
Template packCompany operating calendar
10 commitments with a rhythm. Added to the area Finance.
Common questions about commitments
What is the difference between a commitment and a task?
A task is done once and belongs to a project or a goal. A commitment belongs to an area and usually comes back with a rhythm, every week, month, quarter or year, and each occurrence is followed up on its own.
What happens when a commitment goes overdue?
The owner is reminded before the date, or the stand-in during an absence. When it goes late, the owner and everyone named on it are notified, or whoever answers for the area when nobody is named, and it stays overdue in the area's outcome until it is signed off.
Can we require a second person to approve?
Yes. Choose Require a second signature on the commitment, and it counts as done only once someone other than the person who did the work has signed it off.
Can a sign-off be changed afterwards?
No. Every sign-off is kept with the time, the person, the note and the evidence. Comments can be edited, but the sign-off itself stays.
What is a directive?
A directive says what an area must uphold, for example accurate financial reporting. The commitments under it are how it is upheld, and with a KPI and a limit the directive shows whether it holds.
Does Kalends replace a management system?
No. Kalends keeps order in what recurs and is not a document management system. Commitments are the dated, recurring work and the proof that it was done. Policies and process descriptions that need versions and approvals belong in a management system, as do deviations and risk assessments. One-off work belongs in a project or a goal.
Does everyone who follows the work need a paid seat?
No. Watch-only members who only follow the work are free on every plan. Whoever is responsible for commitments, projects or goals has a paid seat.
More about Kalends
Start with one area
Add the area's owners and the commitments that matter most. Try the whole system free for 30 days, no card needed.