Some helpful tools to use for goal setting at work

Over the years, I’ve been asked many time about how I structure the task of setting goals for myself. To be honest, I haven’t been very structured about it all…rather, I just set the goal and then run like hell to achieve it. It has worked out well for me, but it probably would have been much easier for me if I’d had some reliable tools and approaches to guide me along the way.

In the piece below, PR expert Crystal Doyle offers advice on goal setting techniques to improve one’s productivity at work.

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Setting Goals to Improve Productivity at the Workplace
By Crystal Doyle

Photo by Flickr user LyndaSanchez

The challenge of creating an effective and productive office require goals. When employees don’t have specific goals in mind, it’s hard to accomplish tasks in a timely manner and the company will face setbacks that were possible to avoid.

The Productivity Facts

It’s easy to fall into certain habits and tasks at work. Keeping up with data analysis and international address verification is an important part of running a company, but it doesn’t improve the productivity of workers in the office. According to INC.com, writing down specific objectives can increase productivity by 33 percent.

Amy Gallo from the Harvard Business Review suggests that it’s a manager or employer’s responsibility to help connect individual aims to the larger company objectives. Even the smallest tasks and goals can contribute to accomplishments because each task builds on another. Productivity is about accomplishing different tasks.

Using Lifetick Coach

A simple method of creating and tracking employee goals is with Lifetick Coach. According to Sarah Kessler on Openforum.com, the manager component of the app can help keep track of the progress employees make with their personal objectives.

When the application is used by management, it is easier to recognize when employees are falling behind or when the tasks are moving along smoothly.

According to the Harvard Business Review, the challenging long-term goals of the company are met when the short-term objectives are attainable.

Creating Goals With CreateSmartGoals

CreateSmartGoals is another solution that managers and employers can use to help employees reach objectives. According to Openforum.com, managers can use the hosted solution to create different aims for the employees.

The hosted solution allows managers to create company objectives, tasks for an entire department or goals for each individual employee. It also helps keep track of the progress employees make on tasks using the progress journal. By recognizing when employees are falling behind, a manager can adjust the tasks until productivity improves.

Keeping Track of Goals With GoalScape

Although GoalScape is a hosted program to help keep track of company goals, it’s also slightly different than the basic format. According to Openforum.com, it provides a visual infographic that allows employees to see the goals and how it connects to the larger objectives of the company.

The main goal falls into the center while sub-goals, or smaller tasks, are broken into different categories around that main point. By showing how each task connects to the larger aims of the company, it’s easier for employees to remain motivated to handle the smaller tasks like international address verification.

Keeping it Simple With WorkSimple

WorkSimple is a tool that helps simplify the process of tracking objectives. Depending on the set up, it can show a single employee’s progress or the progress of an entire department when it relates to setting, tracking and accomplishing tasks.

According to Openforum.com, employees are able to self-report on their progress as they accomplish tasks and mark it off using the goal reports. When a manager is ready to evaluate the progress and accomplishments of different employees, a report is generated.

Setting objectives and keeping track of those tasks will help improve the productivity of the workplace. It’s a manager’s responsibility to help employees make realistic goals and keep up with the small tasks that reach the final destination.

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A graduate of business management and communications, Crystal Doyle utilizes her knowledge of public relations and applies it to her methods of managing.