What are the characteristics of effective project goals?

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: The goal should state exactly what the project is to accomplish. It should be phrased using action words (such as "design," "build," "implement," etc.). It should be limited to those essential elements of the project that communicate the purpose of the project and the outcome expected.

Measurable: Strong goals are measurable goals. The ultimate measurement is the completion and delivery of the specified project output. Good goals also include incremental measures that are used to determine progress toward the over completion of the project. Watch out for ambiguous words or words that are subject to multiple interpretations. "User friendly" is one of the most common. What does that actually mean? The way most people explain it is to say something like, "So easy a child could do it." What child? How old? Is it something a child needs to be able to do? The ultimate problem, however, is that the project must be completed before you can determine whether a child can do it. Try to define the deliverable characteristics or features that would make the deliverable "user friendly."

Agreed-upon: Particularly on in-house projects (those being conducted by employees who are not actually project managers), agreement on the project goal is critical. Specifically, the people who must supply the resources (people) who will work on the project must agree that the project is desirable and that the involvement of their employees is necessary for success. Not everyone in the organization needs to agree with the project but those who can significantly impact it must.

Realistic: This is not a synonym for "easy." Realistic, in this case, means "do-able." It means that the learning curve is not a vertical slope; that the skills needed to do the work are available; that the project fits with the overall strategy and goals of the organization. A realistic project may push the skills and knowledge of the people working on it but it shouldn't break them.

Time-framed: The deadline for delivery is usually one of the first things you'll find out about a project. Including this promised delivery date in the goal statement ensures that the team is constantly reminded of it and that the organization has an idea of when the project output will be delivered. Remember Parkinson's Law: "Work expands to utilize all available time."

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.

Article Source: http://www.rightbiz.com

For more of Jeff Crow's tips on project management, visit . Jeff is the author of and provides seminars and workshops on project and process management worldwide.
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