How To Set and Track Project Goals?

Project goals can seem like a huge task – it feels like taming a wild horse, exciting but still challenging. 

But with the right tools and strategy, you can always keep everything under control! Let’s get into the details of setting a project goal.

What Are Project Goals?

Project goals refer to set objectives that a team needs to achieve by the end of the project. These goals are very specific and clear from the very beginning itself.

You need to think of project goals as the guiding star that helps everyone reach the destination. They answer questions like what and why of a project.

This helps in setting a clear purpose and helps your team understand what success should look like. If you do not have a clear project goal, it’s difficult to keep tasks in track.

Setting a project goal definitely provides you a head-start in terms of direction, alignment, and progress tracking. 

Also, they help keep team motivation at the maximum since everyone in the team knows what they’re working towards. 

It does not matter if it’s improving a small process or launching a new project overall. These goals definitely help lay the foundation for positive outcomes.

How To Set Project Goals

Now that you know what a project goal is, let’s dive into how to create these goals as well. You can keep your project on track stay aligned with your project goals by:

Defining Clear Objectives

Start out by outlining clear, well-defined and specific objectives. They should be structured in a way that can help understand your team what you’re trying to accomplish.

Treat them as your project’s why factor — why it exists in the first place. Keeping these objectives well-den=fined will help your team understand what success looks like and everyone stays on the same page.

Use the SMART Framework

You can be very effective in achieving your project goals if you use the SMART framework. Here’s how the framework looks like:

• S: Specific
• M: Measurable
• A: Achievable
• R: Relevant
• T: Time-Bound

Every goal should be to-the-point, easy to measure, realistic based on your resources, aligned with your project’s purpose and set to be completed within a timeframe.

Let’s take an example here. You can substitute improving customer satisfaction with increasing customer satisfaction score by 10% within 3 months.

Involving Key Stakeholders

You should always involve important stakeholders when you’re setting project goals. Always keep them in the loop.

They can help you with different perspectives and valuable insights that can better these already well-defined goal.

Sharing the purpose and expected outcomes of the project goal makes sure that it is aligned with the organizational priorities and takes care of customer needs as well. 

Also, a sense of commitment and an environment of accountability is created among the team when stakeholders are involved. 

Keep Track and Adjust as Needed

After your goals are set, you should focus on tracking the progress regularly. Tracking efficiently makes sure you’re on track, plus you can sort out any issues early on before they become a huge problem in the future.

It always helps because you can make adjustments to the goals to fit in new learnings and unexpected changes as well.

Hence, this flexibility makes sure you reach your project goal outcome without any hindrance. 

How to Track Project Goals?

It is important to track your progress to achieve success. Keep monitoring these goals regularly and you can instantly recognize any potential issues coming out of it. Here’s how you can track project goals:

Set Clear Milestones

Milestones help you break down large projects into smaller, manageable stages. These key points in your project timeline offer clear targets and give your team something to work toward.

Tracking milestones keeps everyone focused on what’s next, making it easier to measure progress and stay motivated.

Monitor Percent Complete

Tracking the percentage of work completed is a straightforward way to see how close you are to your goals.

By regularly updating this metric, you can get a clear picture of your project’s progress. This method also helps you realize where you may need to divert focus to stay on track.

Use Timesheets for Accountability

Timesheets help you keep an eye on the hours required to complete a task within the project. You can review these timesheets to see how resources are being employed.

Maintaining a timesheet can also help you understand if too much time is being spent on a single task. This helps you balance workloads and meet deadlines without any hassle.

Review Resource Allocation

Tracking your resources and where they’re employed is important. Having an overview on resource allocation helps you understand if you’re using the right people and tools effectively.

By checking in regularly, you can ensure that the team is working at an efficient capacity. If not, you can always make adjustments to any areas that require extra support.

What Are Some Examples of Project Goals?

We’ve learnt all about Project Goals, now let’s look at some examples as well:

Operational Project Goals: 

• Increase sales revenue by 20% over the next fiscal year
• Reduce operational cost by 15% by year-end
• Improve speed of payments, achieving a 10% reduction in average payment time in 3 months.

Customer-Focused Project Goals:

• Boost social media engagement with customers by 25% in the next quarter.
• Decrease customer service-related calls by 20% within the next quarter.
• Reduce average customer wait times by 30% within the next 6 months.

Employee- Focused Project Goals

• Decrease employee overtime by 15% within the next quarter.
• Reduce employee turnover rate by 10% within the next 12 months
• Increase employee engagement score by 15% within 6 months

Technology Project Goals:

• Strengthen data security, reducing incidents by 25% over the next year.
• Improve company website usability, aiming for 20% increase in user satisfaction by next quarter

Conclusion

Project goals aren’t only about jotting down a list – it’s about motivating your team and keeping them on track to achieve the said project goal.

As mentioned before, it’s the guiding star so use your telescope to keep an eye on your progress. 

Hence, with a firm mindset and the right set of tools, you can cruise through your project visions like a pro.

So, are you ready to conquer your project goals? Get started with setting your project goals today!