Quarterly Plays
Quarterly Plays are the strategic initiatives your practice commits to each quarter. They bridge the gap between your long-term vision and what your team does day to day. Each play is a focused project with a clear goal and a 90-day time horizon.
Why quarterly plays matter
Dental practices are busy. Without a structured way to plan improvements, good ideas get lost in the daily rush of patient care, scheduling, and operations. Quarterly plays give your leadership team a manageable number of initiatives to focus on -- typically three to five -- so progress actually happens.
Creating a play
Navigate to Practice OS > Plays and click New Play. Each play has:
- Title -- A clear, actionable name. Start with a verb so the intent is obvious. Examples: "Launch patient referral program," "Implement same-day treatment acceptance process," "Cross-train front office on insurance verification."
- Description -- The details: what the initiative involves, what success looks like, and any milestones along the way.
- Quarter -- Which quarter the play belongs to (Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4 of the current year).
- Status -- Where the play stands in your workflow.
The kanban board
Plays are displayed on a drag-and-drop kanban board with four columns:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Planned | The play is defined but work has not started yet |
| In Progress | Your team is actively working on it |
| Completed | The play has been executed successfully |
| On Hold | The play is paused or deferred to a future quarter |
Drag cards between columns as plays progress. The board gives your team a visual snapshot of where everything stands.
Suggested plays
Not sure what to focus on this quarter? SOPHIE provides a library of suggested plays tailored to dental practices. These cover common strategic initiatives:
- Improving patient retention and recall rates
- Implementing new treatment workflows
- Upgrading team training and onboarding programs
- Optimizing scheduling efficiency
- Enhancing patient communication and follow-up
Browse the suggestions and import any that align with your current priorities. You can customize them after importing.
Connecting plays to your vision
Each quarterly play should advance your practice Vision. When planning your quarter, pull up your vision statement and ask: which plays will move us closer to where we want to be in three to five years?
For example, if your vision includes becoming the top-rated family practice in your area, your quarterly plays might focus on patient experience improvements, team training, and review generation.
Quarterly reviews
At the end of each quarter, take time to review your plays:
- What was completed? What impact did it have on your scorecard metrics?
- What is carrying over? Should unfinished plays continue next quarter or be deprioritized?
- What is new? Based on scorecard trends and team feedback, what plays should you add?
This review cycle, ideally done during a Power Hour meeting, keeps your practice on a path of continuous improvement. Each quarter builds on the last.