Using Smart Criteria To Develop An Effective Project Goal.
A strong, concise goal statement can be a major driver for a project. It is the target that the project is aimed at. It is the yardstick against which project progress is measured. A good goal statement for a project is a SMART goal:
Specific and Succinct
Measurable
Agreed-upon
Realistic
Time-framed
Specific and Succinct: A project goal is used to summarize and guide a project. A good goal is short and concise. It should lay out the ultimate deliverable of the project is simple, unambiguous terms. It should be action-oriented, not simply a statement of the deliverable.
Measurable: If there is no way to measure the achievement of the goal, how will you know when you're done? Many times, the words that are used to make the goal specific are also the key measures for the project. For example, one of my favorite goals is, "I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." The specifics of this goal area: Man, moon, earth, alive (safely), end of the decade. These are also the measures by which the entire project was evaluated.
Agreed-upon: Does everyone in the organization have to agree that the project is necessary and desirable? No. Then who? Obviously, those who must do the project need to agree that it is necessary. Realistically, those individuals who control the resources necessary to get the project done need to agree that it is important. In addition, those who will be impacted by the project should agree that it needs to be done. Beyond that, agreement about the project is not likely to impact your ability to get it done one way or another.
Realistic: Projects may stretch the capabilities of the project team and the organization but they shouldn't break them. There are really two aspects to the idea of "realism." First, there is the issue of the capability of the organization and the people to actually make it happen. Second, there is the issue of the project being appropriate for the organization. If your business is banking, don't undertake a project to build a boat.
Time-framed: Any project can be estimated accurately - once it's completed. But, regardless of that, there will be a deadline for delivery. Making the deadline part of the project goal statement guarantees that the team knows the target date and that others in the organization know when the project output should be delivered.
As mentioned above, good project goals are short - usually less than 50 words. You should be able to tell someone your project goal in an elevator ride going less than three floors.
Specific and Succinct
Measurable
Agreed-upon
Realistic
Time-framed
Specific and Succinct: A project goal is used to summarize and guide a project. A good goal is short and concise. It should lay out the ultimate deliverable of the project is simple, unambiguous terms. It should be action-oriented, not simply a statement of the deliverable.
Measurable: If there is no way to measure the achievement of the goal, how will you know when you're done? Many times, the words that are used to make the goal specific are also the key measures for the project. For example, one of my favorite goals is, "I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." The specifics of this goal area: Man, moon, earth, alive (safely), end of the decade. These are also the measures by which the entire project was evaluated.
Agreed-upon: Does everyone in the organization have to agree that the project is necessary and desirable? No. Then who? Obviously, those who must do the project need to agree that it is necessary. Realistically, those individuals who control the resources necessary to get the project done need to agree that it is important. In addition, those who will be impacted by the project should agree that it needs to be done. Beyond that, agreement about the project is not likely to impact your ability to get it done one way or another.
Realistic: Projects may stretch the capabilities of the project team and the organization but they shouldn't break them. There are really two aspects to the idea of "realism." First, there is the issue of the capability of the organization and the people to actually make it happen. Second, there is the issue of the project being appropriate for the organization. If your business is banking, don't undertake a project to build a boat.
Time-framed: Any project can be estimated accurately - once it's completed. But, regardless of that, there will be a deadline for delivery. Making the deadline part of the project goal statement guarantees that the team knows the target date and that others in the organization know when the project output should be delivered.
As mentioned above, good project goals are short - usually less than 50 words. You should be able to tell someone your project goal in an elevator ride going less than three floors.
