As managers we all have situations in which we set goals. We set goals for ourselves; for our subordinates; for our entire departments or corporations. Setting goals and objectives is an inherent task in the corporate world whether it is a for-profit or not-profit organization. Until we set goals and objectives we can’t really measure progress.
Many people use the terms goal and objective interchangeably. Just for better understanding, I define an objective as an end result to be achieved. A goal is a quantifiable definition of the objective. As an example: the objective is to increase the market share of the company. The goal for this objective is to increase the market share from 25% to 45%. The objective defines the action, while the goal is the measurable result of the effort.
The establishment of objectives and goals involves everyone. The manager and his subordinates must all understand the objective and the goals to be achieved, and the time frame in which it is to be accomplished. Peter Drucker, the management consultant of the 1950s, 60s and 70s uses the acronym SMART to define a goal. The acronym SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time sensitive. Unfortunately, Drucker’s method was considered too bureaucratic for many managers.
Nonetheless, goals and objectives must be set in an organization. Drucker’s acronym makes sense if it can be applied in a humanistic manner. Hundreds of academic experiments and studies have shown that an employee who is given a goal that is clear, challenging (but attainable in the employee’s mind) and measurable will achieve a higher level of performance. Vague goals such as “do it ASAP” or “do as good a job as possible” will result in a lower level of achievement.
The objective for the team will set the direction for their actions. The goal helps the individual, team or department to focus on their task and avoid distractions. They will know when they are drifting off course, and should make adjustments. They will recognize when they have achieved the goal.
I encourage everyone to commit their goals and objectives to writing. This action focuses everyone involved in the efforts and reduces the chance of misunderstanding. The short time taken to write down and confirm a project objective and goal with subordinates will save hours and weeks of time in the future. Discovering a misdirection or failure in project tasks because of a misunderstanding could create the need for hours of remedial labor time; put the project behind schedule by weeks; and cause project cost overruns. Taking time to clearly establish and write down a project goal will be the most cost efficient action taken on a project.
Having a clear goal will go a long way to help to measure the project’s performance.
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