Using Objectives to Drive Strategic Improvement

Overview

Objectives provide the strategic direction for your organisation's continuous improvement activities. While assessments, benchmarking and validation help identify your current level of maturity, Objectives define what your organisation is aiming to achieve and how success will be measured.

Objectives are typically aligned with organisational priorities, strategic plans, business plans or improvement initiatives. They provide a clear focus for the organisation and help ensure that improvement activities are directed towards meaningful outcomes rather than individual tasks.

Within Assessment Manager, Objectives are separate from Improvement Actions. Objectives describe what your organisation is trying to achieve, while Improvement Actions describe how those objectives will be delivered.

What Information is Available?

Each Objective includes:

• Objective Title

• Performance Measures

• Target Completion Date

• Current Status

Each Objective can contain up to three performance measures, allowing organisations to define how success will be monitored and measured over time.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Open the Objectives Section

From the Improve menu, select Objectives.

The Objectives page displays all strategic objectives that have been created for your organisation together with their current status.

Step 2: Review Existing Objectives

Review the list of current objectives and consider how they align with your organisation's strategic priorities.

Objectives should focus on meaningful outcomes that support continuous improvement across the organisation rather than individual operational tasks.

Step 3: View Objective Details

Select the expand or dropdown button beside an objective to display its additional information.

This will reveal the performance measures, target completion date and current status, providing a clearer understanding of how progress is being monitored.

Step 4: Review Performance Measures

Each objective may contain up to three performance measures that define how success will be evaluated.

Performance measures should be specific, measurable and aligned with the intended outcome of the objective. Reviewing these measures helps ensure that progress can be monitored consistently over time.

Step 5: Monitor Progress

Review the target completion date and current status for each objective to understand how implementation is progressing.

Regularly monitoring objectives helps leadership teams identify where progress is being achieved and where additional support or resources may be required.

Step 6: Use Objectives to Guide Improvement

Objectives should be reviewed alongside assessments, benchmarking information and improvement plans.

Together, these areas provide a clear picture of where the organisation is today, what it is trying to achieve and the actions that are being undertaken to deliver those outcomes.

Tips and Best Practice

Keep objectives focused on strategic outcomes rather than day-to-day operational activities. Objectives should provide long-term direction and help guide improvement across multiple areas of the organisation.

Performance measures should clearly define what success looks like and should be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain relevant as organisational priorities change.

Objectives are most effective when they are regularly discussed by leadership teams and used to guide planning, decision-making and continuous improvement activities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an Objective and an Improvement Action?

Objectives define the strategic outcomes your organisation is trying to achieve, while Improvement Actions are the individual tasks and activities undertaken to achieve those objectives.

How many performance measures can an Objective have?

Each Objective can include up to three performance measures that help monitor progress towards achieving the objective.

Can Objectives be updated?

Yes. Objectives, performance measures, target dates and status can all be updated as organisational priorities and progress change over time.

Should every Improvement Action be linked to an Objective?

Where possible, yes. Linking operational activities to strategic objectives helps ensure that improvement efforts remain aligned with organisational priorities.

How often should Objectives be reviewed?

Objectives should be reviewed regularly by leadership teams, particularly during strategic planning, business planning and performance review meetings, to ensure they continue to reflect the organisation's priorities and direction.