Project Management

Goals are high-level statements that provide overall context for what your organization is trying to achieve in the next three years. Objectives are lower level statements that describe the specific, tangible products and deliverables that the project will deliver. The definition of goals and objectives is more of an art than a science and it can be difficult to define them and align them correctly. However, through practice and the use of some common definitions, you can start to identify and tell the difference between goals and objectives.

Business Goals

Goals are high-level statements that describe what your organization is trying to achieve over a one to three year horizon. For example one of the goals of the IT Support group might be to "increase the overall satisfaction levels for clients calling to the company helpdesk".

Because the goal is at a high-level, it may take more than one project to achieve. In the above example, for instance, there may be a technology component to increasing client satisfaction. There may also be new procedures, new training classes, reorganization of the helpdesk department and modification of the company rewards system. It may take many projects over a long period of time to achieve the goal.

The goal should reference the business benefit in terms of cost, speed and / or quality. In this example, the focus is on quality of service. Even if the project is not directly in support of the business, there should be an indirect tie. For instance, an IT infrastructure project to install new web servers may ultimately allow faster client response, better performance or some other business benefit. If there is no business value to the project, the project should not be started.

If you can measure the achievement of your goal, it is probably written at too low a level and is more of an objective.

If your goal is not achievable through any combination of projects, it is probably written at too high a level. In the above example, you could envision one or more projects that could end up achieving a higher level of client satisfaction. A goal statement that says you are trying to achieve a perfect client experience is not possible with any combination of projects. It may instead be a vision statement, which is a higher level statement showing direction and aspiration, but which may never actually be achieved.

Project Objectives

Objectives are concrete statements that describe the things the project is trying to achieve. An objective should be written at a lower level, so that it can be evaluated at the conclusion of a project to see whether it was achieved. Goal statements are designed to be vague. A well-worded objective will be Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART). (However, SMART is a technique for wording the objective. An objective does not absolutely have to be SMART to be valid.)

An example of an objective statement might be to "upgrade the helpdesk telephone system by December 31 to achieve average client wait times of no more than two minutes".

• Note that the objective is much more concrete and specific than the goal statement.
• The objective is measurable in terms of the average client wait times the new phone system is trying to achieve.
• You can assume that the objective is achievable and realistic.
• The objective is time-bound, and should be completed by December 31.

Objectives should refer to the deliverables of the project. In this case, the objective refers to the upgrade of the telephone system. If you cannot determine the deliverables that are created to achieve the objective, the objective may be written at too high a level. On the other hand, if an objective describes the characteristics of the deliverables, it is written at too low a level. If the statements describe the features and functions, they are requirements, not objectives.

Importance of Objectives

Objectives are important because they show a consensus of agreement between the project manager and the project sponsor on the main purpose of the project. The specific deliverables of an IT project, for instance, may or may not make sense to the project sponsor. However, the objectives should be written in a way that they are understandable by all of the project stakeholders.

Define Objectives Before the Project Starts

The project objectives and the business goals they support should be defined and agreed upon before the project starts. The deliverables of the project are created based on the objectives - not the other way around. That is, you don't agree on the deliverables first and then establish objectives to match. You must understand the objectives of a project and then determine what deliverables are needed to achieve them.

A facilitated meeting between all major stakeholders is a good way to create the objectives and gain a consensus on them at the same time.

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Weekly Anagram

Let's have some fun! See if you can unravel this anagram. (Anagrams are a word or phrase formed by reordering the letters of another word or phrase, such as satin to stain.)

Written Approval

MEND SENT ORE: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Last Week's Anagram.

Final contract settlement including resolution of all outstanding items and payments

CANCEL SCOOT TUTOR: CONTRACT CLOSEOUT

Wideman Glossary Term of the Week - Hammock Activity

• See Hammock
• An Activity that spans between two points in a network. It has no duration of its own but derives one from the time difference between the two points to which it is connected.

Labels: Goals and objectives