Today we will talk about goals and what goals are.

No project is complete without defining project goals.

And the success of this project directly depends on how clearly and qualitatively the GOALS are formulated.

After all, if there is no goal, how can we determine that we have arrived exactly where we planned?

An episode from “Alice in Wonderland” where she talks to a cat immediately comes to mind:

• Tell me, please, where should I go from here? – Alice asked.
• Where do you want to go? – replied the cat.

“I don’t care…” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter where you go,” remarked Keith.
“…just to get somewhere,” explained Alice.
“You’re bound to get somewhere,” Keith said. – You just have to go long enough.

It’s the same in projects, if you do something long enough, you will definitely do something, but this is what is EXPECTED from you? And this is already a question.

And so what are the goals:

1) Clear goals. This is when we know a sufficient number of success criteria. And the description of the goal itself does not cause difficulties. Most often, such goals are formulated using SMART criteria. I will not dwell here on what SMART is – there is enough information on this topic on the Internet. I will say only one thing that achieving such goals is much easier. In addition, all members of the project team UNDERSTAND, and this is important, where to go…

2) The so-called “Fuzzy goals”. This is when we cannot clearly formulate a SMART GOAL. This, of course, is not the same case as in the fragment with Alice, but it is very similar.

In the case of fuzzy targets, we understand the VECTOR of motion and we have certain “Outlines” of the target. What should the project manager and the project team do?

Vague goals

After all, in the case of vague goals, we have additional risks and associated costs. In addition, the project participants do not fully understand what they want from them? And where to run.

Therefore, the burden on the project manager in this case only increases.

Unfortunately, there is no universal answer, but there are recommendations on how to work with these goals.

Such recommendations include the PRESENCE OF THREE COMPONENTS:

1) Presence of a STRONG emotional component.
The goals must be supported by enthusiasm and energy directed to the realization of the project.

2) The presence of a sensory component.
The more tangible the goal. It is all the easier to convey it to the rest of the team. Think through the tangible artifacts of achieving the goal.

3) The presence of a progressive component.
Undefined goals are not static, they change over time. It is important to periodically stop to understand the results obtained. Such goals should be edited on the basis of new information received.

In more detail, we discuss the topic of goal setting, SMART criteria and working with vague goals at the Project Management: “Simply About Complex” training.

And that’s enough for today 🙂 Wait for the continuation.

Good luck with your projects!