Learning, Performance and Recognition Center of Expertise

Writing Effective Work Objectives

Writing effective work objectives supports employees to achieve performance excellence. Too often
managers do not spend enough time clarifying what they want an employee to do before having them
take action. It is easy to set work objectives that are so general that employees do not know exactly
what their manager is asking them to achieve, or even whether the objective has been met.

At the beginning of each performance review cycle, the manager will work, in collaboration with each of
their employees, to establish individual work objectives that are clearly understood by the employee.
Effective work objectives are measurable descriptions of what an employee is expected to achieve
during the year. It is important to get this process right, as inadequately formulated work objectives
could guide an employee in the wrong direction.

The most well-known method for setting effective work objectives is by doing it the SMART way.
SMART refers to the acronym that describes the key characteristics of meaningful objectives, which are
Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound. Using a structured approach, like this,
forces managers to think more deeply and methodically about what they actually want.

• Specific: A clear, observable action or achievement

S

• Measurable: Quality, quantity, cost and time

M

• Attainable: Achievable (e.g. neither out of reach nor

A below standard performance)

• Relevant: Meaningful objectives that are consistent

R with the employee’s role in the workplace

• Trackable/time-bound: Set a time limit for

T achievement

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Five Steps to Writing Effective and SMART Work Objectives

3. Determine
1. Understand 4. Set work
2. Compile the most 5. Make the
the purpose activities
relevant important end results
of work towards end
resources aspects of the SMART
objectives results
job

1. Understand the purpose of work objectives

Well-written work objectives:
 Allow employees to understand what is expected of them;
 Enable managers to readily observe, document and coach employees on an ongoing basis;
 Provide employees with a means of self-measuring performance;
 Provide a tangible means of clarification if misunderstandings or disagreements arise about
work assignments; and
 Allow for an accurate comparison of what was done and what was expected.

Though work objectives are based on the group and level of the employee, they are not a work
description or a work plan. Typically, they answer these questions:
• What? Exactly what should the employee be trying to do? What quality standard needs to be
achieved?
• How? How will the employee achieve this?
• When? By when, or how quickly?

2. Compile relevant resources

As appropriate, gather the following sources of information to help write accurate, job-specific work
objectives:
 Work plans;
 Work descriptions; and
 Standard operating procedures/guidelines.

As appropriate, also gather the following to help tie the work objectives to higher-level goals/
objectives:
• Agency and branch goals, objectives, and priorities;
• Senior management performance agreements; and
• Team, work unit goals or objectives.

Tip: One of the best strategies for successfully writing effective work objectives is to collaborate
with colleagues doing or overseeing similar work to develop a set of common objectives that could
apply to all individuals doing similar work within a given unit. This strategy:
• leverages the combined knowledge and experience of the group; and
• helps to ensure that employees doing the same work have consistent expectations.

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3. Determine the most important aspects of the job
Make a list of the most important work activities for the job. Consider work activities that are:
• critical for supporting the mission of the Agency;
• key to supporting other jobs in the Agency; and,
• performed most often by the individual.

4. Set work activities towards end results

Choose three to six of the most important work activities on your list, and for each one, write down
what the end result of performing that activity should be. Performance indicators differ from work
objectives. While work objectives may be broad in nature, performance indicators are meant to be
very specific. They identify important factors that contribute to the successful completion of a work
objective. They should also allow for the differentiating of levels of performance and define
standards for the expected level of achievement of results which can be qualitative or quantitative.

Performance indicators must not be solely activity-based (i.e. hold a consultation process) but also
include an outcome-based measurement (i.e. to determine…).

5. Make your end result “SMART”

Once you have determined several end results, turn each one into a SMART work objective.

Specific: The work objective needs to clearly define the expected results. Details are important so
the employee knows what is expected of them and to make it easier for the manager to determine if
the employee has met the objective.

Note: Be aware that work objectives should not be too vague or too specific. Work objectives that
are too specific may quickly become out of date.

Measurable: The work objective should specify how to measure success (i.e. provide verifiable
standard of evaluation). Provide concrete parameters for what the employee must achieve. Make
sure that the measurement does not require perfection (e.g. performance must be 100% error-free),
otherwise the employee will never be able to exceed the objective.

Types of measurement include:

• Quality - How well should the work be performed? (e.g. accuracy, effectiveness or
usefulness)
• Quantity – What amount should be produced? (e.g. raw numbers, percentages, level of
productivity)
• Timeliness – How quickly should the work be completed? (e.g. a certain time period or by a
certain date)
• Cost effectiveness – How efficiently should the product or service be produced?

Attainable: The work objective should be within the employee’s control and not overly dependent
on outside factors. The employee should be assessed only on the work for which they are

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 responsible. If the work objective is outside their control, the employee should not be penalized for
the delays or missing a deadline.

Examples:
Revise the work unit’s Contracting Instructions and/or guidance so that associated policies,
processes, roles and responsibilities are up-to-date, thorough, and clear, as determined by manager
review. Supervisory edits of final products should be minimal.
• Appropriate: Instruction/guidance should be submitted to the appropriate delegated
signature authority by the end of the quarter.
• Inappropriate: Accomplishment is achieved when instructions/guidance are released for
final signature by appropriate signing authority.

Relevant: The work objective should have a direct and obvious link to the work description (i.e. to
the manager’s objectives, to the work unit’s goals, and to important Agency goals). It should be job-
specific and focus on work important to the organization’s success.

Trackable/time-bound: The work objective should specify a timeframe for the production of the
product or service. These timeframes help to clarify performance expectations and ensure work
gets done in a timely manner. Timeframes can be within a certain period of time or by a certain
date and must be within the performance cycle.

Here is an example that uses each element of the SMART method:

Work objective: Manage receipt tasking, tracking and closure of incoming inquiries related to the
Chief Financial Officer.

Performance indicators:
• Achieve closure within 10 business days of receipt, with 95% of responses satisfying request
without need for follow-up (this is a recurring objective).
• Provide review of draft responses to inquiries.
• Ensure delivery of final product.

Specific – “manage the receipt, tasking, tracking and closure”

Measurable – “95% of responses satisfy the initial request.”
Attainable – It is assumed the employee has the resources to accomplish this objective.
Relevant – It supports the mission of the organization.
Trackable/time-bound - “Achieve closure within 10 business days.”

QUICK TIPS:
• Three work objectives per role/position are recommended.
• Do not try to capture every single task, focus on the key deliverables, ongoing operations, and
results expected.
• Consider lessons learned from the year-end assessment process.
• Use action verbs to explain the employee’s role in achieving the objective such as “Complete”,
“Coordinate” “Develop”, “Evaluate”, “Facilitate”, “Lead”, “Prepare”.
• Work with other managers to develop standard objectives for similar work.

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 • Make the objective clear to an external audience.
• Write the objective at the level of the position.
• Avoid the use of jargon and acronyms in your description.
• Leave room for possibility of exceeding the objective (avoid using extreme and limiting words like
“all”,” always” or “never”).
• Do not include too many work activities and outcomes in a single objective.
o A common error is to try and cover too many aspects of the job in a single work objective.
If two different outcomes are included in one objective, and an employee exceeds
expectations in one area but performs at a successful level in the other, how will you
provide effective feedback on this objective?

Common Challenges and Potential Solutions

Here are some common challenges that managers may face when establishing work objectives and
proposed potential solutions.

Priorities that frequently change

• Set short-term work objectives
 Focus work objectives on common and important activities across different projects
Example: Cannot anticipate the timeline required or exact date is unknown.
Work Objective: “X” will be completed in the timeframe agreed upon by the employee and rating
official at the beginning of the assignment. OR “X” will be completed within three weeks of receiving
each request.

Multi-year projects and long-term goals

• Break the goal into smaller, specific milestones and deliverables that can be achieved during the
first cycle.
Example: Activity: Publicize the purpose of the study and gain buy-in from stakeholders.
Work Objective: With minimal guidance, conduct a communication campaign and obtain confirmation
from 80% of the work unit leaders in the organization that they will complete the required surveys
throughout the two year project. Complete this step by the end of the second quarter.

Activities not easily measured

• Focus on what the employee is expected to deliver
• Identify at least one type of measurement that can be used (quality, quantity, timeliness)
Example: Activity: Produce an important report
Work Objective: For X issue, analyze information that is received, extract relevant conclusions and
produce finished information products as appropriate to the topic that meet the standards. Submitted
draft information products should require a minimal amount of revisions.

Writing objectives at the appropriate level of difficulty

• Refer to work descriptions
• Meet with colleagues to discuss the appropriate level of difficulty for employees of similar types
of jobs

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Establishing the levels of success of an objective
• Review standards to identify benchmarks for ”Succeeded”, “Succeeded+” and “Surpassed”

Other Challenge:
• Writing Objectives for recurring tasks – unforeseen amount of volume and timing
Solution: A recurring work objective specifies the action, the customer and an expected
outcome of performing the recurring task
Example: Recurring Activity: Process incoming travel requests
Recurring Work Objective: Process and approve/deny all travel requests for the unit office. Deliver 90%
of approval notices within 10 business days of receipt.

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 SMART Work Objective Tool
1. Draw a circle in the middle of your paper and write down the main verb (use the example below).
2. Add additional circles. In those circles, ask yourself: What? By doing what? When? With whom?
Applying what standard? to fully understand the verb within the context of the objective.
3. Use the list of Action Verbs to describe the objective and add more circles, if needed.
4. Re-verify the main verb; change or expand it. Optimize the surrounding descriptors.
5. Put the main verb through the SMART test by asking, is my objective:
• Specific (if I do not need to ask more questions what does it really mean, or should I provide
additional verbs “by doing…”)
• Measurable (how and when will it be measured what quality is expected)
• Attainable (taking into account the organization, as well as the employee’s circumstances and
conditions)
• Relevant (aligned with goals)
• Trackable/time-bound (set deadline)

6. Finalize your SMART objective by writing it down at the bottom of your paper.
Example: Actively participate in team branch meetings.
This is an example that will become obvious of not following SMART objective requirements when
we reach the initial question: By doing what? If we have to ask this question to get more concrete
details, we know that the main verb will have to be changed as it does not clarify what the SMART
objective is. Participate actively is not specific enough and it might mean different things for
different employees. For some it might mean volunteering to do additional tasks, while for some
others it might mean simply showing up to pre-scheduled meetings, which is not a SMART objective.

Actively participate in team branch meetings by:

• reporting back to the team during weekly team meetings
• communicating with team members (informing, sharing, responding to questions)
• bringing back X to project Y
• volunteering for tasks related to project Y
• writing updates and providing them to A by date B
• engaging in discussions and decision-making on C by date D etc.

Reporting Actively Collaborate

Participate

Communicating Volunteering

Engaging

Source: Canada School of Public Service - Evaluating Performance "SMARTly”

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 SMART Objective Checklist
Once you have drafted a work objective, use this checklist to ensure that you have covered all the key
factors for an effective work objective.

Specific

□ Does the objective relate to a critical or important work activity performed in this position
(was a work description or other guidelines used to ensure it is relevant)?

□ Is the objective broad or flexible enough to allow for minor changes in the job to occur (e.g.
receive an important new project or task) and have the objective still apply?

□ Does the objective specify an end result rather than just a work activity?

□ Does the objective focus on specific behaviours that support success?

□ Is this objective consistent with objectives written for other, similar jobs within the
organization in terms of responsibilities and difficulty of the work? Is it appropriate for the
classification group and level?

□ Is the objective written using concrete language?

□ Does the objective begin with an action verb? (to + verb)

Measurable

□ Is the result described in the objective observable or verifiable?

□ Can progress be measured for the objective? Is the progress:

o Numeric or descriptive?
o Quantitative?
o Qualitative?
o Financial?
o Constrained by time?

Attainable

□ Is the objective written in a way that allows the employee to exceed it? (e.g. it is not written
as a pass/fail and avoids using words like “all”, “always” or “never”)

□ Is the objective appropriate for the group and level of the position?

□ Is completing the objective within the control of the employee, given authority and resource
constraints?

□ Does the objective provide a degree of challenge that will stretch the employee, yet still be
achievable?

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 □ Is the objective sufficiently and reasonably limited in scope?

□ Can the employee accomplish this objective in the proposed time frame with the resources
available?

Relevant

□ Does the objective clearly link to the strategic goals or objectives of the Agency?

□ Does the objective clearly link to the goals or objectives of the work unit?

□ Does the objective measure actual outputs or results, not activities?

□ Do the results include products, deliverables, or accomplishments?

Trackable/Time-bound

□ Does the objective specify a period of performance, such as “within one month”, or “by June
1st”?

□ Has a reasonable timeframe been identified?

□ Can the objective be accomplished within a single evaluation period?

□ Is it necessary to identify interim steps or have a plan to monitor progress?

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 Common Pitfalls in Writing Work Objectives and
Performance Indicators

Manager creates objective and Collaboration with the employee to create their work objectives
performance indicators without input and performance indicators is the most effective way to set
from the employee. expectations for performance. They know their job and
themselves best and therefore their potential for achievement.
Input from the employee at the beginning allows for engagement
and buy-in on meeting the targets set. Ultimately managers must
approve the objectives set, however having the employee help to
build the objectives will lead to greater acceptance.
Keep in mind that employees should not be asked to create work
objectives all on their own. Doing so could give the impression that
the manager is not fully engaged in the process.
Pass/Fail objectives The objective is so narrowly outlined that the employee either
does it or doesn’t (pass/fail), i.e. number of inspections vs. ensuring
compliance. A range should be provided that stretches the
employee’s ability and also provides the opportunity to exceed or
receive constructive feedback on how to improve.
Quantity goals too high or low Quantity should be high enough to be challenging but not so high
that it is unachievable. A quantity goal outside of this range will
disengage the employee in striving to reach the goal and set them
up to fail, which is not productive or effective.
Create objectives that are not Outlining objectives that are not important to the final expected
important result is tedious and a waste of time for both the manager and the
employee. For example “making photocopies” is not necessary to
assess; however “keeping accurate and complete documentation”
would incorporate this aspect, but be broader and less tedious.
Overpromising Part of the clarity that employees need is to understand what goals
are within the acceptable range for their classification group and
level. If you put stretch goals into the objectives, make it very clear
that is what they are. Some employees may seek reclassification or
understand this as setting them up deliberately for promotion. If
that expected reclassification or promotion does not materialize
and they have worked hard for it, they may end up disengaged and
have performance issues.

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