Goals vs. Objectives: Navigating The Difference from a Project Manager’s Perspective

When it comes to leading a team or managing a project, goals and objectives become the pillars of your achievement. From freelancers to gig workers or any size business owners, goals help you set your team apart from this cut-throat competition. This gives you direction to work on your mission and achieve it with strategic implementation.

Well, both goals and objectives are inseparable partners in this journey of accomplishment. However, they vary as per the specific actions you take. And, importantly, how you incorporate them within your project management portfolio to win your big-picture plans.  

Let’s slide into goal vs. objective differences and implement them in your project management toolkit -:

 

What are Goals?

A Goal is a concise description of favorable outcomes that companies might use to inform yearly strategies that each department will execute. It emphasizes mostly ‘what’ the team or organization strives to accomplish rather than ‘how’. 

As per the Neuroscience studies, the process of goal setting has a profound impact on the team and their productivity. So, when you sit with the team and discuss your company goals, the brain starts releasing dopamine that reinforces the behavior of your team and encourages them to put in their best combined efforts.

Indeed, when you leverage goal management online software, it rewires your brain to some extent and involves ongoing effort, learning, and adaptation toward a particular project. 

 

What are Objectives?

Objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) targets that emphasize more concrete steps for attaining a particular goal. 

So, when a company wants to increase its sales revenue in a year, it adds three services by the end of this month. This shows that objectives come with a timeline that must be accomplished in a few years, years, or even months. While goals come with no defined timeline and there’s no strategy involved.

So, to attain your goal, you need to have some objectives and must define the activities involved in attaining a goal. 

Are you a Personal Branding Strategist or Marketing Manager? You can use the best goal management software to set your objective for Marketing Leadership in an organization for enhancing brand awareness & expanding your market reach.  

Let's understand the difference between the two -:

 

Goals V/S Objectives 

While goals serve as the "what" and "why " objectives delve into the "how" and "when." Goals establish the vision and purpose offering a long-term perspective on success. On the other hand, objectives bring focus to term actionable steps required to turn that vision into reality. 

Based on metrics 

Goals can be subjective. May not always have metrics attached to them while objectives are inherently measurable allowing for clear tracking of progress and success. The harmonious relationship between goals and objectives ensures alignment, clarity, and a systematic approach towards achieving desired outcomes.

Based on strategy

Essentially goals and objectives are partners in the journey towards accomplishment. Goals provide inspiration and direction setting the tone for pursuing success. Objectives provide a strategy, timeline, and measurable criteria to navigate that pursuit.

Whether in development, business strategy, or any other field, understanding and effectively utilizing the distinctions between goals and objectives is crucial, for overall progress and achievement.

Well, thinking about goal setting is an easy peasy task. But strategizing and making efforts to reach that goal is tougher.

Do you know - only 8% of people consistently achieve their New Year’s Eve goals? And these small actions often lead to a bigger perspective when it comes to achieving your goal. According to the Harvard Business Review, it is correlated with a cognitive bias toward seeking unattainable benchmarks.

Let’s discuss different types of goals and objectives to make your team members of that 8% by using goal-setting software to manage projects and keep collaboration on track. 

 

Types of Goals

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to communicating the goals. Every goal focuses on different priorities that lead to a unique kind of outcome. For instance, some businesses use goal measurement tools to track and measure their outcomes.

So, let's consider a few types of goals to choose from when setting up your objective-:

1. Time-based goals 

Time-based goals use a strategic direction to achieve their outcomes within a specific time duration. These can be short-term as well as long-term based on the requirements of the organization. So, if you’re an individual owner or work with a large size team, you can set time-based goals to plan and execute your urgent tasks. Track your goals in Kanban view in Kroolo and map your progress through

• For example: Increase sales revenue by 20% to be eligible for the best-in-place 360 Degree Marketing Awards Ceremony in November. 
• Best For: Teams who have time-sensitive deadlines to reach their outcomes. 

2. Outcome-oriented goals

Outcome-oriented goals focus on the result and are independent of any particular timeframe. These goals serve as high-level aspirations for teams and organizations that want to achieve goals in the long run with no timeframe. 

• For example: The goal of a company is to establish itself all across the international frontier in sustainability
• Best for: Teams who set a long goal with an adjustable deadline and time frame

3. Process-oriented goals

Process-oriented goals focus on improving internal operations and processes to support the achievement of broader outcomes. It prioritizes the work and strategizes on how you can accomplish it. 

• For example: Spending 30 minutes daily analyzing emails 
• Best for: Teams looking to set a direction for new processes and workflows

 

Types of Objectives 

1. Tactical objectives

Tactical objectives emphasize short-term deliverables with challenging projects. Typically, it bridges the gaps between the high-end strategic goals to goals adhered to operational activities. For instance, completing the coding and testing phase within 15 days for a particular project module becomes your tactical objective. 

Best for: Teams working on projects with a few short-term deadlines.  

2. Operational objectives

As the name suggests, operational objectives focus mainly on achieving routine actionable tasks. Such objectives contribute significantly towards understanding the roles and duties and determining the accountability to improve communication through streamlined workflows. 

Best for: Large team size who thrive with short iterations and detailed instructions
 

Examples of Goals and Objectives

Example 1: Achieving a landmark goal

Goal: Launch a new product in California, USA in 2024.

Objective: Research attitudes, preferences, and cultures of people and segment them into the funnel of your targeted demographics. 

To launch a product, you’ll need to research and map out your customer segment and lay out a comprehensive strategic plan to achieve the goal in 2024. Objectives will help you to step-by-step track and meet your goal. 

 

Example 2: A growth goal

Goal: To expand your customer base by acquiring 1000 new customers for the subscription model within the next quarter. 

Objective: Grow your customer base by 10% every month consecutively for the next 2 quarters. 

Here, goal and objective are interdependent on one another to attain the desired number of customer expansions. 

 

Example 3: A quantitative goal

Goal: Increase monthly website traffic by 250% over the next 6 months.

Objective: Prepare and implement a comprehensive content strategy with regular blog posting and social media promotion over the next 6 months.

Here, the goals and objectives are time-sensitive and are more process-driven. 

 

How to Measure Goals & Objectives 

1. Qualitative & quantitative assessment

Evaluate whether the outcomes have been achieved as desired. Ask questions like – Did we achieve what we have set a goal for? Track your metrics and KPIs and compare them with your desired and expected numbers. Ask – What’s the score of a % increase in customers if your goal is to expand your customer base?

2. Timeframe assessment 

Consider the timeframe required to reach a certain threshold. Compare the actual with the expected timeframe to assess your progress.