Why an effective goal setting software is a ‘make or break’ moment for employees

Why an Effective Goal Setting Software is a ‘Make or Break’ Moment for Employees

Goal setting is a process that spells out what organizations want to accomplish and involves creating a plan to achieve the desired results. For organizations, goal setting is a critical part of business planning. However, you can’t set goals without a plan to achieve them. Invariably, that is where they have a problem.

The solution is simple – a goal-setting tool or software. Enterprise goals are generally set on an annual basis and are aligned with long-term goals. And, to succeed, enterprises must provide direction. Setting goals make it easier for the employers and the employees to direct their attention towards what is a priority and move from there. When employers invest in a software solution, they commit to organizing, setting, tracking, and achieving their goals, transparently. Ideally, the software would enable overall enterprise strategy, individual employees’ goals, and the initiatives to stay on track.

Key features of a Goal-Setting Software

Collaboration and Transparency

Setting goals across all levels of an organization can be made visible. They can also be monitored, tracked, and updated, thereby increasing the individual’s commitment levels. Employees can see their personal goals and how they fit into the organization’s big picture. Individual employees and their respective teams can see their contribution, the challenges involved and update their progress. It is an approach that breaks down silos and leads to two-way communication, building trust in the process. Moreover, the collaborative process makes employees feel more engaged and brings about a robust work culture.

Empowering Employees and their Managers

Goal-setting software should be supportive rather than obstructive. It should be designed and developed for ease of use. The right software will enable managers to:

  • Build trust by having conversations with the employees
  • Guide the employees to realign their goals and performance
  • Help employees adjust and adapt to changing priorities.

Automated goal summary alerts and emails can save managers time and energy and trigger the need for additional resources to build an effective team.

Aligning individual Goals with organizational Goals

Aligning with the organization’s goals is vital to building a team of high performers. It establishes a common purpose for everyone across the board. It requires clear communication, leadership, and for this, the leaders must:

  • Set clear organizational goals, communicate them frequently
  • Offer flexibility for different goals and roles
  • Provide support to achieve their goals.

Individuals and teams can have different goals – each of those needs to be tracked. The ideal goal-setting software would allow flexibility so managers can customize the goals and the steps to achieve them. They can either use SMART goal setting or OKRs to achieve results.

SMART goal-setting software has five criteria:

  1. Relevant
  2. Specific
  3. Measurable
  4. Achievable
  5. Time-bound

OKR goal-setting breaks up the goals into objectives and key results, such as:

  • Outline desired outcomes
  • Actionable and motivational
  • Measurable targets and milestones

Greater visibility to enhance cross-team collaboration

Goal-setting software makes it easy to view and comment on the progress providing greater visibility. Managers can add their questions or make suggestions to encourage communication and collaboration. Moreover, it offers a chance to provide immediate feedback.

User-friendly

Features such as single sign-on make the goal-setting software more user-friendly. Having to sign into different applications with multiple logins can be cumbersome. Employees and managers would use the software and promote widespread adoption only if it is easy to use.

How to choose the right Goal Management Software?

When looking for goal-setting software, organizations need to ensure that it suits their business needs. And it can offer features that allow them to:

  • Define goals, set expectations, and track the progress in real-time
  • Set SMART goals and track lead, lag, or on-track progress of each direct report
  • Use the OKR framework to include agility in the workforce, keep an eye on the key results, and continuously track.
  • Use the matrix reporting structure to map goals, provide accurate feedback, and increase individual productivity.
  • You can also link the goal – cascade up – to ensure alignment with the team and organization alignment.
  • Use the actionable analytics and service accurate reports based on the performance of the employees.
  • Analyze the progress through the dashboards and progress reports.
  • Send texts and notifications to meet deadlines.
  • Use the goal tracking mobile app on the go.

Importance of Goal-Setting Software Solutions

Goal-setting software helps in connecting goals with recognition to enhance employee performance. It is also linked with coaching and mentoring needs. When your software is integrated with feedback and recognition, you have an opportunity to initiate an effective performance management strategy.

For instance, if one of the employees stays on top of their goals, they update their progress and automatically notify the manager. The manager then posts recognition and ensures that the employee feels valued by celebrating the progress. It also works when an employee feels challenged and needs help.

Continuous tracking helps managers step in and have a one-on-one discussion about coaching the employee through their obstacles in achieving set goals.

Final thoughts It is clear that goal-setting is essential to achieving organizational goals and individual growth. And a goal-setting software ensures a streamlined, transparent process to keep the employees challenged and engaged as they pursue their goals. It also offers clear guidelines and support from managers making employees feel valued for their contribution to the organization.

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