“Make sure you always have the right tools for the job. It’s no use trying to eat a steak with a teaspoon and a straw.”
Anthony T. Hincks
Fact: Your work will always be harder without the right tools to get the job done.
This is true in all facets of life. Good luck cooking pasta without an oven or a large pot. If you’ve ever tried to plant flowers without a gardening trowel, or small rake, you know the difference having tools can make.
See what I mean?
This concept doesn’t just apply to household projects. It translates into the business world as well. Let me give you some examples:
- Team video conferencing is impossible without a quality video platform (ex. Zoom, Google Hangouts etc.)
- When dealing with payroll information, a financial software program helps you categorize, store, and track important financial information.
Moral of the story? Tools matter.
When it comes to progress monitoring (whether individually or as a group) it’s important to have the right tools and strategies in place to help you get the job done. The specific tools and techniques you will need will vary depending on the specific metrics you are tracking and whether you are monitoring individual, group or organization progress over time
I know what you’re thinking, “Sarah, where are the tangibles? Give us examples.” OK – but before I do, let me preface the short list by saying this:
If you don’t have a goal and a plan for moving forward BEFORE you begin, you won’t know what to measure and track on your way to success. We have you covered. For help and ideas about setting goals and priorities, listen here Four Steps to Planning
Now, here are a few practical tools and strategies that can help with different types of progress monitoring.
Individuals
- Taking Time To Reflect
It’s important to periodically stop and ask yourself, “How am I doing?” This strategy is especially helpful when tracking progress on individual goals, objectives, and commitments. It can be a source of motivation in moments when you need to maintain momentum. Keeping a consistent record from the beginning of your goal journey to the end helps you to better identify what’s working and what isn’t.
You can do this “old school” in a notebook or in a planner, or use one of the online tools or apps. The key here is to have goals and then REVIEW and reflect on your results, and adapt as needed.
- Feedback From Others
Oftentimes, we are too close to our own goals and efforts to really see our progress clearly. Specific feedback from an outside source is a great way to gain another perspective. Feedback can be given formally (ex. Surveys filled out by team members) or informally (ex. Conversations with coworkers or accountability partners.)
Groups/Teams
- Weekly Accountability Meetings
Keep them short and sweet. The purpose is for folks to share their priorities and focus for the week linked to the overall goals. It’s a time to identify needed shifts and then adjust as needed. People show up READY to share, which requires they already know what they are responsible for doing and what needs to happen next. (This isn’t a staff planning and delegations session.) - Project Management Tools
If you are attempting to track a group’s efforts/progress on a particular project or task, it can be helpful to use a project management software tool, such as Trello or Asana. These programs allow different team members to easily communicate about shared tasks. Like to keep things simple and basic, Excel or Worksheets can help track goals, actions, start and end time frames, and progress.
Organization
- Community Surveys
Community surveys are especially helpful when looking for a large body of information and feedback. For example, if you are hoping to measure the effectiveness of a new program your organization has implemented, you might survey members in your community or clients that you serve regarding the impact of this new program.
- SWOT Analysis
SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This type of analysis is used to identify and assess the effectiveness of a particular project, program, or organization. It’s particularly good at showing what you do well, where your gaps or blind spots are, where you need to minimize risks, and where opportunities for success are. Bring diverse viewpoints, experiences, and expertise into the SWOT conversation for better results.
Progress monitoring is an important aspect of any organization’s planning strategy. It’s the “next step” after goals, strategies and milestones have been identified and created.
If you are looking for support in implementing strategic planning and progress monitoring strategies, I’d like to invite you to join my Stress-Free Strategic Planning Course + 4 Month Membership program.
Through this program, you’ll receive valuable tools and information in addition to targeted support from me in strengthening your leadership and beginning your strategic planning journey.
But don’t wait! This program will be closing soon. Click here to learn more!
Article was contributed by: Maria Lees, Team Writer with Sarah Boxx
