This post will discuss project goals and deliverables, why they’re essential, and how to tell if a goal is well-defined. Defining a project’s goals and deliverables means it has enough information for you to be successful.

First and foremost, before you being a project you should have a clear end goal to ensure its success and make your job easier.

Why is it essential to document Project Goals and Deliverables?

Detailing your project goals and deliverables will help you talk to your team members and keep them on track. It would be best if you had a clear idea of what you want to do, how you’ll do it, and how you’ll know when it’s done.

Let’s start by clarifying the project’s goals so you can start figuring out what your project team needs to do to reach them. For example, you might want to cut the time it takes to answer customer support email by 20%. Let’s assume an imaginary company: “Shrubhub” hopes to increase sales by 5% by the end of the year by giving the company’s best customers a new service called “Greenify.” Goals are important because they help you figure out how to get where you want. How can you know where to go or get there if you don’t have a clear goal?

How do you document Project Goals and Deliverables?

Documenting a goal accurately can make all the difference in the world. It all comes down to how clear the goal is. Are you sure you’ll know when you’ve reached your destination if the goal is your destination? Let’s look at the earlier example. 20 percent improvement in the time it takes to answer emails from clients and a 5 percent increase in Shrubhub’s income. These are examples of clear goals.

These goals also give directions on how to complete the project. In the above example, you’ll do it through email and a new service offering. By saying “to improve by 20% and grow by 5%,” these goals give more information about the purpose. We can see where we’re going. Well-defined goals are clear and measurable. So you have a better idea of what you want to achieve.

Big Picture

Before starting a project, take some time to review your goals and ensure they are clear. To do this, you may need more information from the people who matter to you. Ask them how they think the project should go. You should take the bigger goals and company mission into account. Once you’ve talked to your stakeholders, you should all agree to support the project’s goals so that problems don’t happen in the future.

Identifying Deliverables

Once you know your goals, it’s time to consider what the project will give you. The people who get project deliverables are customers, clients, or those who pay for the project. In other words, a deliverable is the last thing that comes out of a project, task, event, or process.

A goal could be to improve the time it takes to respond to customers. For this goal, a deliverable could be response email templates for frequently asked questions. For example, the two deliverables for your Shrubhub project that could bring in money could be the plant service and a website that shows off the new types of available plants. These are what “deliverables” are because they describe actual results showing stakeholders how this will make more money.

You can find examples of deliverables for a project just about anywhere. A report can also be a deliverable. When you reach a goal, it is clear from the chart, graph, or presentation. Using deliverables, you can figure out how much of an impact the project has and what that impact is. It would help if you had clear goals and deliverables for the same reason. It is vital that everyone involved in a project agrees on the project’s deliverables right from the start. This is to ensure accountability and cooperation among project members.

Ask questions about the deliverables and ensure everyone is on the same page about what they anticipate from the result.

Key Takeaways

Before starting a project, you should figure out what needs to be done. Detailing your goals and deliverables will help you talk to your team members and keep them on track. Well-defined goals are clear and can be measured, giving you a better idea of what you want to achieve. A deliverable is the last thing that comes from a project, event, or process.