Project Objectives Examples and Advice for Project Planning

Project Objectives Examples and Advice for Project Planning
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Why Set Project Planning Objectives?

Clear objectives lead to a higher rate of project success. By taking the time to properly plan your project’s objectives, the tasks leading toward these objectives are easily created. If a sailor knows where the fish are, he can direct his boat to the proper spot. Project planning is no different. This article will give some project objectives examples to ensure you understand the importance of writing good objectives.

Writing Good Objectives

[caption id=“attachment_132576” align=“aligncenter” width=“720”]Write good objectives with these project objectives examples The SMART method helps define great project objectives[/caption] Because good project plans require good objectives, it is important to understand how to write good objectives. Good objectives follow the SMART acronym in that they are specific, measurable, reasonable and time-bound. Good objectives are clear and they require actions to complete. Good objectives have every element of being attainable if the project plan is followed. In fact, objectives can make or break a project. Objectives for projects can be as simple as “develop a new software program to track expenses” or as long reaching as “increase profits 20 percent in the next quarter.” The important thing is that these objectives lead the team along a defined project path.

Examples of Bad Objectives

If good objectives follow the acronym SMART (specific, measurable, action-driven, realistic, time-bound) then bad objectives conversely do not follow this example. Read these poorly written objectives to get an idea:

  • Increase the number of clients our company serves.
  • Make customers happy.
  • Create some sort of new product.
  • Make more money.
  • Achieve success.
  • Share knowledge.
  • Find funding.
  • Eliminate quality problems.

The reasons these objectives are bad are because they lack specifics, they don’t rely upon actions, or they focus upon a means to an end rather than an end. Let’s look at the final example: “Eliminate quality problems.” The statement isn’t specific enough. By changing this objective to be more specific, measurable, action-driven, realistic, and time-bound, it can become a good objective. First, the statement needs to be more specific. What kind of quality problems need to be eliminated? If the product is software, perhaps there need to be fewer bugs in the software. The objective might, then be: Reduce the number of bugs in the software. This isn’t enough however, because we still don’t know how much reduction is enough. In order to answer this question, the objective can be rewritten to read, “Reduce the number of bugs in the software by 75 percent.” What are the actions that will be taken to reduce the number of bugs? Is this a realistic figure? When will this be completed? All of these questions must be answered in order to produce an objective that is useful in the project planning process. A final statement of the above objective might be: “Reduce the number of bugs in the software by 75 percent, using careful beta testing and implementing corrections by June.” We hope you find these project objectives examples useful in planning your project!

Further Reading:

For more information on how to set objectives in project planning, view the following articles: Ronda Bowen’s Project Management Helps Meet Strategic Objectives Ronda Bowen’s Defining the Project Schedule Hierarchy Donna Cosmato’s Real Life Project Management Process Examples SMART Graphic courtesy of Pixabay