Setting our 30-Day Goal
Setting our 30-Day Goal
Purpose: Deciding on the Team’s 30-Day Goal. This is the most important step in the 30-Day Project. It defines the team and binds them with a common purpose and a joint commitment. As you see below, we break down the facilitation process of this team conversation into 3 steps.
Process time: 60 min
Step 1: Results-orientated Goals
Go over the examples and criteria for a good 30-day goal. Emphasise that the goal templates are oriented towards an outcome or result (not a plan, not a recommendation, not an activity or a task to complete). (5 min)
Emphasise the differences between SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) and SMURF goals. Not all SMART goals are Results-Oriented. SMURF goals always are. SMART goals are Achievable. SMURF goals are unreasonable and bordering on the impossible!
Step 2: Shaping the Team's 30-Day Goal
Here are examples of policy 30-Day Goals. Notice how these differ depending on the gap shown by the Health Survey with respect to the policy you are focusing on.
Here are examples of goals related to behaviour. Notice also that these have a natural progression: first, people need to have the trust and courage to speak up. We cannot claim a reduction in the incidence of offensive or criminal behaviours if these incidents are not being reported in the first place.
Two slides in the slide pack have templates of these same goals, with blanks that the team will fill out during this critical step of this agenda item. Go over these examples and templates with the Project Sponsor, and pick/customise one or two that best suit the Heath Check survey issue highlighted in the Project Charter.
At the workshop, present the goal template(s) to the team. Ask them to discuss these to see if which one they are comfortable with. If need be, customise one of these with them. Making sure they agree on how progress towards the goal will be measured. (20 min)
Ask the team how much they want to achieve in terms of the actual improvement over the baseline in the Health Check survey. (20 min)
- You can ask each to write down a number or a percentage improvement on a post-it note; then, they can share these and discuss. Use voting if need be. Remember that we are not seeking consensus but rather the willingness of each team member to COMMIT and WORK TOWARDS THE GOAL that is set.
- Leave room for discussion and argument. It is essential that everyone feels heard before agreeing on a goal. Keep reminding the team that the leaders encouraged them to set highly ambitious goals. Remind them about the goals they heard about in the videos.
Step 3: Refining the Goal
More often than not, the team will be so eager to move on to the work planning that they fail to ask important questions about the goal (15min):
- Compared to the baseline in the GBVF Health Check survey, does the goal feel really “unreasonable”?
- When will we start measuring progress towards the goal? And how often will we measure progress after that? You might suggest that the team conducts a weekly random survey specifically focused on the targeted behaviour so that they can track progress every week. You can use Mentimeter to make it fun, simple, and fast.
- Is the goal framed as “In 30 days,… OR “Within the last week of the 30 days…?” OR “During the 30 days after the Challenge…” Which framing is most suitable?
- What are the possible adverse consequences of pursuing this goal? What are ways to ensure that the team mitigates these? For example, if the goal is to develop a policy in 30 days, and the HR department is involved, how do we ensure that they do not drop all their other priorities so they can focus on developing the policy?
This step will help you guide the team as they discuss these questions so they can refine and, if need be, adjust their 30-Day Goal. After the preliminary goal is set, we suggest that you congratulate the team on completing the toughest part of the Lift-Off workshop, and that you give them a short break.
