Framing Goals

Any goal can inhabit any level, if the community agrees that it belongs there are if the goal is properly formed for that level. Be careful not to over specify. There are goals, not specifications. The specs can follow, properly framed by well-formed goals.

Aspirations describe Utopian yearnings, so describe them in non-finite terms. Gerunds work well: Aspiring, Maximizing, etc.

Constraints describe boundary conditions, so they should be as specific as possible: $357,000, six months, By year-end 2005, etc.

Regulators describe process and so should be some form of verb phrase or a nominalized verb form: Utilizing Good Enough Testing Standard, Conforming to ISO9003 standards.

Targets describe a tangible end state and so should be centered around a phrase that unambiguously describes that state, usually a noun/verb combination: Signoff complete, Gold Master Shipped, Retrospective completed, etc.

Legacies describe the persistent conditions that occur after the project is completed, so they are commonly short phrases: 10% annual census growth, Receivables in within 30 days, Collections less than 3% of gross sales, etc.

Follow this goal to find the "proper" place for any goal:

Is there a There There, is it a Target goal?
If yes, put into proper form.

If no, Is it an Aspiration?
If yes, put into proper form.

If no, Is it a Constraint?
If yes, put it into its proper form.

If no, Is it a Restraint?
If yes, put it into its proper form.

If no, Is it a Legacy?
If yes, put it into its proper form.

If no, discard it.

Next goal...

For more information on the Grammar of Goal Setting:

For a chart describing the tangles common to grammarless goal setting, look here:

For the text of David's speech on the Grammar of Goal Setting, look here:

For the overheads from the presentation, look here:
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Thanks, David A. Schmaltz True North pgs, Inc.