Objective Setting 201
As a follow up to the Webinar for Members on the subject of Performance Management on May 13th, this extract is presented as a primer on setting objectives.
It is very important that objective setting takes into account a complete view of one's desired goals and outcomes. In order to ensure that objectives provide clarity of expectations and impetus towards the achievement of overall goals they need to reflect multiple aspects of success relative to the purpose of the work of the organization involved.
To establish a full measure of success it is imperative that the three following types of standards are employed together.
Efficiency Standards
? Efficiency is usually defined as the relationship between input and output; that is, between the amount of resources used and the amount of product or service produced. An organization is said to be efficient if it minimizes the resources it uses to achieve a specified level of output.
Effectiveness Standards
? Effectiveness refers to the level of satisfaction with the services being delivered or the extent to which pre-determined outcomes have been reached. If a service or activity receives a high satisfaction rating from the audience to which it is targeted, it is likely to be considered effective.
Quality Standards
? Quality can refer to the methods or techniques by which a task was undertaken and/or the achievement of an end result that meets specified quality parameters.Quality measures indicate whether the job was performed in a professional and competent way, using the best available expertise and most progressive concepts.
Objectives statements that utilize a combination of metrics from all three types of standards ensure a complete gauge of what it is one is attempting to accomplish and an accurate assessment of whether it has actually been done.
For more information on metrics and measurement, or to see samples of objective statements that apply the principles addressed here, email consulting@associum.com.