Want to make sure your follow-up efforts are successful? The key is setting clear, engaging goals. But it's not always easy to know where to start. Don´t worry, we will make it easy for you. Click here to download our Checklist with the practices on how to follow up on business goals.
That's why we recommend checking out our strategy tool GoalEnvision. In GoalEnvision you get the help you need to create goals that are relevant and exciting for your team, making the follow-up process a breeze.
When setting a goal, make sure it's SMARTER, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Engaging and Realistic. This will help increase the chances of achieving the goal.
Specific: The goal should be clear and well-defined.
Measurable: The goal should be quantifiable so progress can be tracked.
Accountable: The goal should have an owner that is responsible for the goal.
Relevant: The goal should align with the organisation's overall strategy and the individual's role.
Time-bound: The goal should have a deadline to increase urgency.
Engaging: The goal should resonate with people's motivations and foster a desire to achieve it.
Realistic: The goal should be reachable, but still challenging, to increase motivation.
Click here to see a video on how to set strategic goals in GoalEnvision.
Why is it so important to follow up on strategic goals?
Keeping track of progress and making sure goals are being met is crucial for any organisation to succeed. It's a process that makes sure things are moving in the right direction, and any problems are fixed quickly. By checking in regularly, companies can change their plan if needed.
Effective goal tracking not only helps you as a leader, but it also helps employees feel motivated and accomplished. It makes sure everyone is working towards the same goals, which increases productivity. By measuring the right things, you can see if your strategies are working.
Effective goal tracking also helps you find areas that need improvement and make changes. It keeps everyone accountable and transparent and helps you stay competitive. Overall, effective goal tracking is a process that helps you achieve your goals and grow.
To verify the process of achieving your business goals, use our checklist as a step-by-step guide to follow up on your goals successfully. It contains explicit instructions that will help you reach desired outcomes. Download here.
Click here to download our follow up checklist and learn how to master goal follow ups…
Why is it so hard to follow up on goals and what can you do about it?
8 common challenges and practical solutions.
Following through on goals can be tough when there are roadblocks in the way. Some common problems include:
Challenge
Not having clear and specific goals that are easy to track and measure
Solution
Clearly define what you want to accomplish, why it's important, and how you will measure success. Define the conditions that need to be met for reaching the goal and start working on them. When making a goal, describe it as if it has already been achieved. Instead of saying "decrease delivery times by 20%", say "fast delivery times" and add a metric to show how fast you want it to be. This is much clearer and more motivating.
Challenge
No one taking ownership or feeling responsible for the goals
Solution
Clearly assign responsibility for each goal to a specific team member or group of team members. Make sure everyone understands their role and how it contributes to the overall success of the project. Use a strategy tool like GoalEnvision to ensure that the goals are aligned and create a coherent strategy.
Challenge
Not having enough resources like time, money or people to make it happen
Solution
Prioritise tasks based on their importance and available resources. Draw a matrix to organize and prioritize tasks by plotting them on a grid with two axis: "importance" and "urgency". It helps to identify which tasks should be focused on first and which can be postponed. Be realistic about what can be accomplished within the given timeframe and budget.
Challenge
Not communicating well with each other and being on the same page
Solution
Regularly schedule team meetings to discuss progress, challenges, and any necessary adjustments. Use clear and consistent language to avoid confusion. In these meetings, focus on each goal's conditions when deciding what to work on next.
Challenge
Being resistant to change and not being open to new ways of doing things
Solution
Be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. Recognize that change is a natural part of progress and growth. In GoalEnvision you can use the decision flows to catch all the ideas that could provide a solution. Gather ideas from the team, discuss and vote on the best ones. This helps to get the team committed to the chosen ideas.
Challenge
Not having a system to check progress and make adjustments
Solution
Establish a system like GoalEnvision for tracking progress and making adjustments as needed. Regularly review progress and make adjustments to ensure goals are being met. Be sure to establish a quick overview before you dig down into details, to make sure you are on top of things as a leader.
Challenge
Having goals that are too complicated and hard to understand
Solution
Break down strategic (long-term) goals by adding what conditions need to be met. A goal condition is a specific requirement or step that needs to be met in order to achieve a goal. It's like a checklist of things that need to be done to reach the goal. For example, if your goal is to save money, the conditions may include setting a budget, reducing expenses and increasing revenue
Challenge
Not having enough training and support to know how to reach the goals
Solution
Provide the necessary training and support to help team members acquire the skills and knowledge they need to reach the goals by inviting them to GoalEnvisions strategy platform.
These tips are simple answers to help with some common goal challenges. If you want more detailed help, click the link for more information.
Click here to learn more about how to overcome the problems and roadblocks with GoalEnvision…
Best Practices for Effectively Following Up on Goal Progress
In order to succeed in achieving a goal, or in order to succeed in anything at all, certain conditions are required. Often these things are forgotten or taken for granted when goals are set.
In GoalEnvision, conditions are what you can focus on to achieve your goal. Conditions are actionable things connected to your goal and directly addressed by actions. You overcome most of the aforementioned challenges by identifying and addressing your goals conditions.
Click here to learn how identifying your goals conditions will help you follow up on your goals
How GoalEnvision helps you follow up on goals effectively
1. You delegate the follow-up process
GoalEnvision is a tool that helps organisations keep track of their goals and make sure they are meeting them. It makes it easy for managers to see how their team is doing and make any changes that are needed to keep things on track. It is important to regularly check progress and make adjustments, and this tool helps with that process. By using GoalEnvision, you can be more successful in achieving your goals.
2. You focus on the strategy
With our platform, you can easily keep track of your goals and progress. Instead of spending time on boring reporting tasks, you can focus on making decisions and looking at the big picture. Our platform helps you stay focused on what's important and make informed decisions for the next goal period.
3. Clear overview in seconds
As a leader, it's important to keep an eye on what's happening. If you get too involved in the small details, it can make people less motivated and slow down progress. GoalEnvision is a tool that lets you see an overview of what's going on quickly, so you can easily spot what's working and what needs improvement.
Click here to see an instructional video on how to follow up on goals in GoalEnvision…
How to follow up on goals effectively in GoalEnvision?
Goal tracking in GoalEnvision is a simple and effective process that allows you to stay on top of your goals and achieve optimal performance. Here's how it works:
Step 1: Register the result
Option A: When the goal period ends, GoalEnvision will send a notification to the designated person to enter the result. They can also add comments.
Option B: If you have an Enterprise subscription, you can set up automatic data integration to skip this step and the goal manager will receive the result right away.
Step 2: Goal manager analyses
The goal manager will receive a notification to study and analyse the result. They can add comments and make suggestions for the next period.
Step 3: Report and Collaboration
The results will be visible for everyone to see and collaborate on. Proposals will become clearer and priorities will be set. As soon as the report is ready, it will be available for all stakeholders to access on MY PAGE in GoalEnvision.
With this process, GoalEnvision makes it easy for you to track your goals and make informed decisions to grow your business. The goal is to have accurate and reliable data to base your decisions on.
Good luck on your goal follow-ups!
Click here to see an instructional video on how to follow up on goals in GoalEnvision…
Jörgen Forslund has 20 years of experience in business management. As CEO, sales manager, marketing manager and also editor-in-chief, he has developed a methodology for leading companies in change processes. As a consultant, Jörgen has many years of experience in entrepreneurship. He provides management support and strategic advice. He supports management in both large and small organizations to succeed with their business development.
