A change initiative must have clear goals in order to succeed – otherwise, how would you know? Goals serve several purposes: They provide direction and alignment, so people know collectively what they are aiming for. They build motivation by offering a challenge to strive for. Plus, goals are a means of ensuring accountability.
A clear goal consists of 5 distinct parts:
- Objective:Â Describe, in words, what the goal of the initiative is.
- Measure:Â Identify what you will track to assess progress.
- Target:Â Determine what measure value you are aiming for.
- Due date:Â Select the date by when you want to reach the target.
- Responsibility:Â Assign whose job it is to accomplish the goal.
The Balanced Scorecard methodology offers a good framework for goal-setting. It offers four categories of objectives that you might consider for your project. Financial objectives measure the dollars, of course. Customer objectives determine success from the customer point of view (including internal customers). Internal Process goals show the mechanics of how you will achieve the initiative. In the last group are Learning and Growth objectives, which answer how the organization will support the initiative. Making sure you have goals in each of these areas gives you a complete look at what you are trying to accomplish.
What goals might you set?
Read more of the 99 Ways to Influence Change.