Your Plan Can Keep You Aligned from Aspiration to Action
why your plan has different elements
I got an email from a leader the other day. She had asked me about developing a plan, and I happily shared some resources.
After reading them, she asked, “Why does the distinction between objectives, key results, and tasks matter? Aren't these all under the heading of "stuff that will happen?"
She was onto something. When I speak broadly about an organization's actions and goals, I group outcomes, objectives, and key results into goals. I then group tactics and tasks into actions that are taken to meet those goals.
Together these are all things that will happen if you follow through on your plan.
The reason for the distinction comes down to alignment. Your team should be able to connect your aspiration (your vision) all the way down to day-to-day execution (tasks) and back up again.
Having that context enhances both focus and traction.
Here’s how to break it down:
Purpose: The whole point of why you exist.
Vision: The most aspirational. It tells you what the world will look like if you fulfill your purpose and achieve your outcomes.
Outcomes: Your outcomes translate your vision into reality by detailing the value you deliver to the people you serve. You’ll work toward these outcomes over the long term, either because they take time to achieve or because they’re something you’ll need to achieve perpetually.
Objectives: Your objectives are significant achievements. They set your priorities and represent a meaningful change that will result in growth and/or forward progress.
Key Results: These are the things you need to deliver to achieve your objectives. Your key results should be specific, time-bound, and measurable — preferably with one concise metric that makes it expressly clear when the result is delivered.
Tactics: Your tactics are the things you do to deliver key results and achieve your objectives. They’re more complex than tasks because they require more than just checking a box to know they’ve been done.
Tasks: The most day-to-day of actions. These are the distinct steps individuals complete that contribute to your tactics, which deliver the key results and help you achieve your objectives.
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Because your tasks are connected through your tactics, key results, and objectives — all the way up to your outcomes and purpose — you increase task significance, and your team understands why they’re doing what they do every day.
Keep working backward.
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