Project Management Framework
Initiation - Goal Statement

Definition

Goal statements provide the overall context for what the project is trying to accomplish. They should align with the agency's stated business goals. Project context is established in a goal statement by stating the project's object of study, its purpose, its quality focus, and its viewpoint. Characteristics of a well-defined goal should reference the project's business benefits in terms of cost, time and/or quality. Because goals are high-level statements, it may take more than one project to achieve a stated goal. If the goal's achievement can be measured, it is probably at too low a level and may actually be an objective. If the goal is not achievable through any combination of projects, it is probably written at too high a level and may be a vision statement.

Why is this important?

Every project has at least one goal. It is the agreement between the project requestor and the project provider about what will be accomplished from the project. The goal explains the direction to take and serves as the compass point for knowing if the project outcomes are correct. In the project management life cycle, the goal is bound by a number of objective statements. These objective statements clarify the fuzzy boundary of the goal statement. Taken as a pair, the goal and objectives statements define the project. They are the foundation for conducting the entire project planning process.

Instruction

The goal statement must be written in business language so that anyone who reads it will understand it without further explanation from the proposer. The goal statement should

• be short and to the point;
• provide overall context for what the project is trying to accomplish; and
• be aligned to business goals in terms of cost, time and quality

How to scale

Smaller projects generally have a single goal. Larger projects may have more than one goal. Since the goal statement is meant to be succinct, regardless of the number of goals a project has, the goal statements should always be brief and to the point.

Related Links:
Goal Statement Examples

Checklists

GOAL STATEMENT
Does the Goal Statement establish the "context" for the proposed project by referencing to the following elements:
• The project's object of study: what product, process, resource, etc., is being addressed?
• The project's purpose: why it's being pursued, (i.e. to evaluate, reduce, increase, etc.)?
• The project's quality focus, how is it impacted (dependability, reliability, defect removal, correctness, etc.)?
• The project's viewpoint: who is the project's benefactor (i.e. user, customer, citizen, agency, employee, etc.)?
Is the project Goal Statement in alignment with the sponsoring organizations business goals and mission?
Does the Goal Statement reference a benefit for the sponsoring organization based on at least one of the following criteria?:
• Cost
• Time
• Quality
Is attainment of the goal immeasurable? (If it's measurable, then it's probably an Objective).
Is the Goal Statement short (a short paragraph or less)?