How to define a goal and an objective
Goals and objectives form the most important part of a project proposal. Therefore, great care must be taken when framing them.
Setting the goal is often the first step towards developing a proposal, as it lays the groundwork for the project. The next step is to define the objectives that will help achieve the goal.
A well-written proposal always has clearly defined goals and SMART objectives to achieve the desired goal. To begin with, let's understand what an “objective” and a “goal” are, and the difference between them.
Essentially, the two can be described as follows:
A Goal is a broad statement that defines what you want to do in a project.
An Objective is one of a number of detailed steps that describe the ways in which the goal is to be achieved.
Now that the difference between a goal and an objective is clear, let's look for ways to write objectives and quality goals.
To do this we must be SMART:
Defining a Quality Goal
- Although the word “Goal” is a broad statement, it must be concrete and clear.
- A goal must be consistent with the mission statement to be achieved.
- Use simple language to write a goal. Avoid using complex phrases and technical words.
- It is wise to keep only one goal for one purpose.
- Defining multiple goals for the same purpose creates confusion.
Defining Objectives
- Once you have defined a logical and reasonable goal, you should be able to define three or four objectives that will guide you and help you achieve that particular goal.
- Objectives should be able to answer the following questions:
- Why are you proposing a particular thing?
- What approach will you adopt to reach the desired goal?
- When will you conduct the particular project?
- Where will you implement the project?
- Who will be the primary stakeholders/beneficiaries or who will be doing a particular thing in a project?
In this way, we can identify the objectives that provide a detailed strategy to achieve the desired impact.
Then, each objective should contribute and supports the achievement of the goal.
Some things to remember when defining objectives are:
- Objectives should follow a logical order. This will also help in planning all of the activities to be carried out.
- Set objectives with the SMART method.
- Use action verbs when writing objectives, such as create, identify, promote, improve, increase, develop, etc.
- Keep 3-4 objectives: Most experts recommend keeping three to four objectives in a proposal. Each objective will further have several activities and tasks to be undertaken. Therefore, having too many objectives will complicate project implementation.
Next in the series - How to manage time to achieve our goals and objectives?
Information sources :
http://www.lmi-world.com/
http://pauljmeyer.com/
