Researches have shown that about half of all adults make New Year’s resolutions. However, fewer than 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months.
In our personal life ,our business , in the company we work for or in our own current role , we all have goals and targets that we want to achieve in order to get progress and positive momentum in our life.
From my experience ,the toughest part that many people are struggling with, and the main reason why people don’t stick to their goals and eventually fail ,is the lack of execution skills . Having our goals listed and even prioritized is just the the first step ,and to my opinion the easy part.
However, to execute the goals is the real challenge .
Many of you probably have experienced the frustration of not having a proper plan to track your progress . I will cover in a separate article the importance of choosing the RIGHT goals and the different techniques you can use to better prioritizing your goal .In this blog I will share a technique that I believe will train your execution muscle so you will be able to achieve 10X more ! Your execution exercise should include the following 6 steps:
The roadmap to reach your goal
Milestones
Breakdown tasks for each milestone
A timeline for each task and milestone
Stakeholders ,resources and responsibilities (Who does what) .
The deliverables for each task and milestone
Let's dive in
1.The roadmap to reach your goal A roadmap is a strategic plan that helps you to “see” the journey towards your goals . Think about a long road trip you consider to take with your family. Most often, you will start off knowing the destination, but since your trip can be fairly long, making short stops along the way will be necessary. you might decide to stop after 2 hours drive for food, then at the halfway point for gas, at the 700 km mark to stretch and perhaps 50 km beyond that for more gas. In the same way , you can create the road map for your goals. It’s a great high level tool to arrange your thoughts in more structured way . For example : a production manager who wishes to decrease by 15% the manufacturing cost of the company number one selling product. a roadmap to achieve this goal may look as follows:
2. Milestones
Milestones used to measure the progress of a project toward its ultimate goal and this marks the completion of an important phase in your roadmap .
Here are 5 advantages that you will get by using milestones:
it will help you to define the overall timeline to your goal
it will help you to define the overall timeline to specific major points in your lifecycle goal
It can help you define significant events, decision points, or deliverables.
You will be able to determine if your project is on track in a simple glance.
It’s a great opportunity and good reason for celebration along your journey.
An example for a milestone in our roadmap could be : Internal certification of cheaper vendor OR a 5% reduction of material cost.
3. Breakdown tasks
from the starting point to end point.
Make a list of all the tasks that will be required to achieve a milestone
Describe a task in a sentence or two.
Break large tasks into smaller tasks as needed .
Write down all action steps for each task.if you can’t think of all steps in advance just write out the next 2-3 action steps and add more steps as you go.
Consider dependencies between tasks and milestones
4. Timeline for each task and milestone
Define a start and finish time for each goal.
Make sure that you give yourself enough time to complete a task.
Draw your timeline
Use templates to build your tasks timeframe / gantt chat
5. Stakeholders , resources and responsibilities (Who does what) .
A stakeholder is either an individual, group or an organization who is impacted by the outcome of a project. Stakeholders could be your suppliers, employees, regulators, neighbours or your own family.
Stakeholders can have a positive or negative influence on your progress and success.
Note their names and their roles
Manage your stakeholders effectively by providing on going updates.(potential risks, delays, achievement of a milestones etc.)
Make a list of all the resources you will need : money, manpower, equipment, third party support etc.
Ensure that the resources will be available as per your timeline.
Define responsibilities ,who does what,
6. The deliverables for each task and milestone.
a deliverable is one or more items or services that contributes to the fulfillment of your milestones or tasks . Here are some examples of deliverables :
Approved protocol
ROI report(return of investment)
Equipment prototype
Website
Your deliverables can be intangible OR tangible but you have to find a way to measure your success.
Ensure that EACH deliverable can be measured
Ensure that EACH deliverable will bring positive value and will create momentum
Ensure that stakeholders ,external or internal will agree to it
Ensure that EACH deliverable is part of the overall scope
Having a good plan is not enough. By constantly practicing those steps ,you will be able to execute your plan in a more structured way and you are 10X more likely to succeed .
As always,
Have a Swell Venture and don't forget ........Every Day Is Day One!
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