Targets as a backbone attribute within an organisation
All business owners, managers and employees that bid to become efficient must have target setting skills. Target-setting has been used for years in large, medium and small businesses to improve manageability and transparency of enterprise business processes, and to plan and monitor staff performance productivity and efficiency.
The implementation of target-setting starts from defining the overall goal of an organisation as the basis for its operation. The prospects for its development and activity focus are defined in the light of company’s vision, mission and philosophy. However, until the long-term development plans of the company and its mission are not related to measurable tasks, there is no point to talk about enterprise efficiency. Improperly defined targets and objectives or targets without objectives result in a situation when company’s business faces disappointed clients, overspent resources, fails to meet project deadlines or deals with conflicts and misunderstanding.
Target vs. Objective – what is the difference?
It seems there is nothing difficult in setting targets and objectives. Some people falsely assume that it is the same thing. Let’s find out what the difference between targets and objectives is.
The first step in the implementation of any business project is setting a target. This step defines our final outcome: what, how much/many and by what date should be done.
Targets represent the intentions, i.e. our vision of the desirable outcome.
Targets must answer the question “What to do?”
The next step is to transform company’s strategic vision and course of development into specific actions and objectives related to production, staff input and enterprise performance.
Objectives are specific actions leading to accomplishment of a goal.
Objectives must answer the question “How to do?”
Good luck and may success attend you in proper setting of targets and objectives!
Translation into English and editing – Nellya Dyshlovaya