Goals and objectives are the terms that we use regularly in the business world. A goal is mainly what you want to achieve while an objective is a step that brings you closer to achieving that final goal. Although these terms are used regularly, there are some common mistakes made while defining or determining how to set them. And now we will talk about those mistakes. Let’s start!
Mistake 1: Goals and Objectives should be set at the very beginning of a project
No! It does not have to be that way. You may define them after coming up with the project scope. Actually, after defining your desired outcome of the project, it is easier to define your goals and objectives in this scope.
Mistake 2: Goals and Objectives are not relevant
They are, and they are very relevant indeed. Goals are defined as the main target that we want to achieve while the objectives are the necessary steps to achieve the final goal. We may think of objectives as the short-term targets.
Mistake 3: Losing Sight of Constraints
Time is the most important constraint when setting a goal. Giving too much time to accomplish a goal or an objective may result in underperformance of the team, giving too little time may cause dissatisfaction of the employees.
Budget is another important issue when setting goals and relevant objectives. Underestimation of the total cost to achieve a certain goal or objective may result in severe financial issues.
We are setting our goals in accordance with the time and budget but what about quality? The work should also be qualitatively good. Thus, we should take it into account to add quality constraints.
In a nutshell
Alright, now we talked about all the common mistakes about defining or determining a goal or an objective in detail.
Another important subject is the comparison of these two terms which is mainly: goals vs. objectives.
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