CHECKLIST FOR IDENTIFYING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Have all of the background materials been reviewed, such as the organization’s strategic business plan (which should include the organization's mission, business strategy, and critical success factors), the Request for Proposal (if one exists), requirements documentation, and concept papers?

Has the project team met with customer executives and other stakeholders to establish a clear and unambiguous understanding of their goals and aspirations?

Is it clear how the goals and objectives of this project fit within the overall goals and objectives of the organization (i.e., the bigger picture)?

Have the critical constraints been identified (e.g., the customer’s expectations for such things as effort, duration, and cost)?

Has the business value of achieving the goals and objectives been identified?

Have the goals and objectives been documented in a clear and unambiguous way (e.g., specific not general)?

Have the goals and objectives been documented in a way that will serve to challenge and motivate the project team (e.g., sufficiently difficult but also realistic and attainable)?

Are the goals and objectives measurable, tangible, and verifiable?

Is it clear how the achievement of the goals and objectives will be measured?

Is there consensus on the goals and objectives, as defined?


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