9 Types of Goals Any Team Can Achieve | The Workstream (2024)

What does your project really need to succeed? One big factor is what researchers call a “compelling direction” or what we commonly know as a business goal.

Of course, just about everyone in the working world sets goals. But making sure you set goals you can hit every time has a lot to do with the type of goal you set.

"Teams cannot be inspired if they don’t know what they’re working toward and don’t have explicit goals"
-Harvard Business Review

What are business goals?

A business goal spells out where your team is going and when you want to reach the finish line. They give what you’re collectively working on a sense of purpose, and they help your team to focus their time and energy. Additionally, business goals can motivate and energize your team when the destination ahead might seem hard to reach.

Business goals can vary in scope, from the full company to a department to an individual employee. They’re important for a number of reasons such as:

  • Guiding decisions and prioritizing work
  • Improving collaboration among cross-functional teams
  • Motivating and engaging with your team

The key to giving your project the best chance of succeeding is to make your goals straightforward and achievable. Make sure they’re descriptive, realistic, and measurable. And most importantly, guarantee success by using the right type.

Types of business goals

Goals can be separated into four types of organizational categories.

1. Time-based goals

9 Types of Goals Any Team Can Achieve | The Workstream (1)

Long-term goals

A long-term goal represents the big picture or overall direction of your team, company, or project. These goals stretch out over an extended time period, potentially months or even years down the road.

Example:

  • Make Acme Co the market leader in business software.

Short-term goals

Short-term objectives are how you break out a long-term goal into more sizable bits. They’re clearly defined and easy to measure or evaluate over a set period of time, such as a month or a quarter.

Building on the example above, some short term goals to support that long-term goal of market leadership could include:

  • Improve customer satisfaction.
  • Build new business software products.
  • Increase awareness amongst consumers.

2. Performance-based goals

Performance-based goals are short-term objectives set for specific duties or tasks. They are also clearly defined and easy to measure or evaluate. These can also be used to measure employee performance.

9 Types of Goals Any Team Can Achieve | The Workstream (2)

Examples:

  • Improve customer satisfaction for existing products by 10% in Q1.
  • Invest 25% more engineer time in building new business software.
  • Increase share of voice in the area of business software by 25% via Marketing campaigns.

3. Quantitative vs. qualitative goals

Quantitative goals are evaluated based on numbers or statistics, like if your team’s freshly launched webpage is receiving the projected number of hits per page. (SMART goals are a great tool for setting specific, measurable, and achievable targets.) Qualitative goals are not as cut-and-dry, such as how the website is being received by your users.

9 Types of Goals Any Team Can Achieve | The Workstream (3)

Example of a quantitative goal:

  • Our newly re-designed business software website has increased user interaction on the page by 30%.

Example of a qualitative goal:

  • Customers think the redesign presents information about our company in a better and more engaging manner.

4. Outcome- vs. process-oriented goals

Outcome is the result you’re aiming for, while process refers to the processes that will lead to the desired outcome if you follow them repeatedly.

Process goals are more immediate and tangible, and they keep you moving forward toward your outcome goals.

9 Types of Goals Any Team Can Achieve | The Workstream (4)

Example of an outcome-oriented goal:

  • Launch a new website by the end of the first quarter.

Example of a process-oriented goal:

  • Follow a 2-week sprint to ensure design and development is being completed on time.
  • Hold weekly standups with the website redesign team to catch up on tasks in progress.

Pick your best goal type and go

Every big achievement starts with a well-laid plan. By mapping out your project plan, using the right type of goal, and making your aspirations detailed and measurable, you can hit any target.

To get started, check out our popular goal-setting templates including Goals, signals and measures and OKRs.

9 Types of Goals Any Team Can Achieve | The Workstream (2024)

FAQs

What are the 9 lifetime goals? ›

9 LIFE AREAS FOR GOAL SETTING
  • Spiritual. This is that inner part of yourself. ...
  • Personal Development. This is your mind. ...
  • Health. What are you going to do to take care of this instrument, this tool that you have? ...
  • Romance. ...
  • Family. ...
  • Business/Career. ...
  • Finances. ...
  • Fun and Recreation.

What are the different types of team goals? ›

The three main categories of team goals are process-based, learning-based, and outcome-based, according to Cliff Auerswald, president of All Reverse Mortgage, Inc.

What are the 8 personal goals? ›

There are 8 IPC Personal Goals:

Resilient = I can try again / I never give up. Collaborator = I can work together / I can take turns / I can share / I help. Communicator =I can listen / I can say/show. Respectful = I am caring / I can agree and disagree / I can look after my things / I can tidy up.

What are the 5 smart goals for work? ›

The SMART in Smart Goals stands for stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based. In order to be a SMART goal, the goal needs to meet all five of these criteria.

What are the 10 goals? ›

10 Goals You Should Accomplish in 10 Years
  • Marriage and Family Harmony. ...
  • Proper Mindset and Balance. ...
  • Commitment to Improved Physical Health. ...
  • Career Passion and Personal Satisfaction. ...
  • Develop Empathy and Gentleness. ...
  • Financial Stability. ...
  • Service and Social Responsibility. ...
  • Stress-Busting Leisure Time.

What are the 7 types of goals? ›

All right, now that you know how to set goals, it's time to think about the seven types of goals you need to set.
  • Spiritual Goals. ...
  • Financial Goals. ...
  • Career Goals. ...
  • Intellectual Goals. ...
  • Fitness Goals. ...
  • Family Goals. ...
  • Social Goals.
8 Nov 2022

How many types are goals? ›

9 Types of Goals Any Team Can Achieve | The Workstream.

What are the 7 Aspects of good goals? ›

Feed Your Mind
  • However, what kinds of goals? ...
  • Specific – A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. ...
  • Attainable. ...
  • Measurable. ...
  • Written. ...
  • Realistic – To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. ...
  • Accountable. ...
  • Deadlined.
18 Apr 2016

What are work goals examples? ›

25 examples of professional goals
  • Boost your time management skills. ...
  • Find new challenges in your role. ...
  • Learn a new skill. ...
  • Improve your work-life balance. ...
  • Foster team collaboration. ...
  • Expand your professional network. ...
  • Take on leadership responsibilities. ...
  • Consume content from thought leaders in your industry.
31 Aug 2022

What are the 3 types of work goals? ›

There are three types of goals- process, performance, and outcome goals.
...
Goal-Setting
  • Process goals are specific actions or 'processes' of performing. ...
  • Performance goals are based on personal standard. ...
  • Outcome goals are based on winning.

What are the 8 principles of goal setting? ›

Effective goal-setting principles:
  • Clarity. A clear, measurable goal is more achievable than one that is poorly defined. ...
  • Challenge. The goal must have a decent level of difficulty in order to motivate you to strive toward the goal.
  • Commitment. Put deliberate effort into meeting this goal. ...
  • Feedback. ...
  • Task complexity.

What are the five kinds of goals? ›

Here's a list of eight kinds of goals that you can use and examples of how you might apply them:
  • SMART goals. ...
  • Short-term goals. ...
  • Long-term goals. ...
  • Interpersonal goals. ...
  • Career goals. ...
  • Academic goals. ...
  • Stretch goals. ...
  • Financial goals.
30 Nov 2021

What are the 7 smarter goals? ›

The process of S.M.A.R.T.E.R goal-setting follows the acronym, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Evaluate, and Reward.

What are 5 goals for success? ›

  • 5 Career Goal Areas to Concentrate On.
  • Grow in Your Role. If you do nothing more than keep up the same routine at work without growing, you are limiting your potential. ...
  • Build Your Network. ...
  • Develop Good Work-Life Balance. ...
  • Find Your Joy on the Job. ...
  • Look for the Next Opportunity.

Why are the 17 goals important? ›

The SDGs provide worldwide guidance for addressing the global challenges facing the international community. It is about better protecting the natural foundations of life and our planet everywhere and for everyone, and preserving people's opportunities to live in dignity and prosperity across generations.

What are the 10 steps to achieve a goal? ›

  • Set your goal. ...
  • Write down your goal. ...
  • Establish a deadline for the achievement of your goal. ...
  • Determine all the ways you will benefit from achieving the goal. ...
  • Identify what stands between you and your goal. ...
  • Design an action plan for accomplishing your goal. ...
  • Visualize your goal as already having been accomplished.
21 Apr 2015

What are the 6 goals? ›

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of ...

What are the 6 smart goals? ›

The SMART in SMART goals stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Defining these parameters as they pertain to your goal helps ensure that your objectives are attainable within a certain time frame.

What are common goals? ›

100 Life Goals Ideas
  • Become an inspiration to others.
  • Master a difficult skill.
  • Become a thought leader in your industry.
  • Get promoted to an executive role at your company.
  • Learn about how to become a millionaire.
  • Go on a trip around the world.
  • Travel to your dream country.
  • Double your personal income.

What types of goals should every organization have? ›

Key organizational goals can also include: employee and management performance, productivity, profitability, innovation, market share and social responsibility goals.

What are the 5 characteristics of goals? ›

Most businesses use the SMART model for goal setting: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timed. These are specific characteristics used in successful goal setting.

What are the 5 keys to goal setting? ›

The 5 Key Components of Setting SMART Goals
  • Specific: Each week choose a SPECIFIC area of focus. ...
  • Measurable: Specific goals are measurable. ...
  • Achievable: You want to be sure your goal is a bit of a stretch but is still attainable. ...
  • Relevant: Be sure to choose the focus area that makes the most sense for you. ...
  • Timely:​

What are the 4 elements of a goal? ›

The specific elements of these goals are: S stands for specific, M for measurable, A for attainable, R for relevant and T for trackable. To establish a SMART goal, you must decide to achieve something specific.

What is the main goal of work teams? ›

The purpose of creating teams is to provide a framework that will increase the ability of employees to participate in planning, problem-solving, and decision-making to better serve customers. Increased participation promotes: A better understanding of decisions.

What are good development goals for work? ›

10 examples of professional development goals
  • Develop a new skill set. ...
  • Develop your workplace skills. ...
  • Take up leadership responsibilities. ...
  • Expand your professional network. ...
  • Level-up your credentials. ...
  • Consume media in your field. ...
  • Find other ways to deepen job satisfaction. ...
  • Take a relevant course.
4 Nov 2022

What are workplace performance goals? ›

Performance goals are short-term targets that employees are expected to meet. Defining goals helps employees understand what kind of work is expected from them or their positions. It also helps employers to evaluate and guide employees in the right way.

What are the 3 smart goals? ›

Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives is a good way to plan the steps to meet the long-term goals in your grant.

What are the 8 pillars of success? ›

Allen helps us understand the eight pillars that are the foundation of true and lasting success. These pillars are Energy, Economy, Integrity, System, Sympathy, Sincerity, Impartiality, and Self-Reliance. A life changing book.

What are the 12 steps in goal setting? ›

12 Steps to Set and Achieve Any Goal
  1. Have a Desire: What Do You Really Want?
  2. Believe That Your Goal is Achievable.
  3. Write Your Goal Down.
  4. Determine Your Starting Point.
  5. Determine Why You Want It.
  6. Set a Deadline.
  7. Identify the Obstacles in Your Way.
  8. Determine the Additional Knowledge and Skills You Need.

What are the 8 principles of success? ›

Principle 1: Focus on outcomes, Principle 2: Plan realistically, Principle 3: Prioritise people and behaviour, Principle 4: Tell it like it is, Principle 5: Control scope, Principle 6: Manage complexity and risk, Principle 7: Be an intelligent client, Principle 8: Learn from experience.

Which of the 7 goal setting steps is the most important? ›

Formulate a Daily Improvement Plan

This is the most important step of the goal-setting process. Ask yourself, “What can I do on a daily basis to work towards reaching my goal?” For each area that you identified in step 3, write out at least three or four specific actions that you can take.

What are the 4 benefits of SMART goals? ›

  • Making S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
  • S.M.A.R.T. Goals Are:
  • Specific-they are clear and direct.
  • Measurable-helps in creating objectives to reach the goal.
  • Action-oriented-they are something to work towards.
  • Realistic-they need to be something that can be obtained.
  • Timely-groups should set time limits and try to stick to them.

What are the lifetime goals? ›

Life goals are all the things you want to accomplish in your life. Often your life goals are very meaningful to you and can make a lasting impact on your life. They can be large and challenging goals, or they can be smaller and more personal. It all depends on what you want to achieve.

What are the 12 categories of life? ›

The 12 Lifebook categories are:
  • Health and fitness.
  • Intellectual life.
  • Emotional life.
  • Character.
  • Spiritual life.
  • Love life.
  • Parenting.
  • Social life.

What is 9 goals in football called? ›

Turkey hat-trick? 8 = snowman, 9 = triple hat-trick, 10 = I've suspected match fixing for the last 4 goals.

What are 10 medium term goals? ›

Some examples of midterm goals include:
  • Completing a degree program.
  • Learning a new skill.
  • Changing your career path.
  • Earning a management position in your field.
  • Starting your own business.
  • Getting a new job.
  • Growing your professional network.
  • Earning a certificate.
26 Oct 2021

What are the 5 types of goals? ›

Here's a list of eight kinds of goals that you can use and examples of how you might apply them:
  • SMART goals. ...
  • Short-term goals. ...
  • Long-term goals. ...
  • Interpersonal goals. ...
  • Career goals. ...
  • Academic goals. ...
  • Stretch goals. ...
  • Financial goals.
30 Nov 2021

What are the 4 types of goals? ›

Goals can be separated into four types of organizational categories.
  • Time-based goals.
  • Performance-based goals. Performance-based goals are short-term objectives set for specific duties or tasks. ...
  • Quantitative vs. qualitative goals. ...
  • Outcome- vs. process-oriented goals.

What are the 8 aspects of life? ›

They are body, mind, work, spirit, finances, community, emotions and environment. Each can affect your quality of life. Struggles in one aspect can affect other aspects.

What is a 9 play in football? ›

9 – Striker / Center Forward – Strikers have one aim: to convert passing plays into a goal. That means they'll need to be good with their heads and their feet and quick enough to turn the defenders inside out.

What is a target 9 in soccer? ›

The number 9 position in soccer is otherwise known as a striker or a center forward. It is the most offensive position on the field. The primary role of a striker is to score goals, but they can also contribute assists and be involved in attacking build-ups.

What size are 9 Aside goals? ›

The new size goals for the 9-a-side game are to be 16ft wide by 7ft high.

What are the 5 examples of short-term goals? ›

Short-Term Goals List
  • Exercising more.
  • Losing weight.
  • Saving money.
  • Eating a better diet.
  • Pursuing career ambitions.
  • Spending more time with family.
  • Taking up a new hobby.
  • Spending less time on social media.

What are mastery goals examples? ›

On the other hand, a Mastery Goal is a desire to become the best you can be in a specific area. For example, “I want to become the best guitar piano player I can be,” is a Mastery Goal. When you focus on increasing your skills, you're less likely to quit when things get hard or mistakes occur.

What is long term goals examples? ›

15 examples of long-term personal goals

Learn a new language. Become a better listener. Grow your circle of friends. Improve public speaking skills.

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