Goal tree is a well-known term in management. It is a set of goals of an economic system, program or plan. This technique has been around for over 50 years, and is now widely used during task planning.
This is a visual representation of the achievement of the set results. The graph shows the primary and secondary targets. At the same time, tasks with a lower priority can be an integral part of both achieving the main mission and an additional one, one that can be dispensed with, but it is better to complete.
Structure
Tree of goals and objectives - these are all the goals of the company, which are built according to a hierarchical principle. In this structure, there are high and low levels, each task has its own order. Such schemes are created to better understand the scope of work and visually represent the final result. The graphic image is an integral part of this method. It helps to achieve the intended, analyze possible problems and come up with a solution.
What is a goal tree, it is easy to understand with a concrete example.
At the top is the generalgoal. This is what the company is aiming for. Followed by subordinate goals, the achievement of which contributes to the main result. The lower the tasks, the less important they are, but mandatory for completion, because if they are not completed, the likelihood that this scheme will not work increases. This is a rough description, because in practice the company is faced with situations where you have to give up some tasks or come up with new ways to solve problems.
For the correct creation of such a structure, intentions are precisely formulated, priority is correctly assessed, time frames are specified.
Principle
Consider six principles for building an enterprise goal tree:
- Accounting for resources and needs. The more complex the task, the more carefully it is planned.
- Spending distribution is a very important point, because lack of money is a common reason why a company's development stops.
- Specification of instructions. Goals must be clearly formulated, they must have an end result. Describes parameters that help determine whether a task has reached its final state. This item also includes the allocation of time for the implementation of one or another item.
- Step-by-step and consistent implementation of the points is a mandatory requirement in order to achieve the final goal. The tasks are rationally divided into stages, the general and secondary goals are set. The resources needed to complete the task are analyzed.
- Well-formed structuredetermined by the compatibility of subgoals and the main intention. This means that the resources necessary for the implementation of tasks are correctly distributed, they should be enough for each stage.
- Each department of the enterprise fulfills only its own goal, based on the tree of intentions.
- Steps are broken down into small tasks. This is called the decomposition method.
Benefit
Building a goal tree is an important part of running errands. A schedule is created to display the plan, and management determines what resources will be required to achieve the plan.
Benefits of visual representation of goals:
- coordination of the activities of the structural divisions of the company;
- distribution of duties to officials;
- increasing the mutual responsibility of performers;
- monitoring the achievement of goals;
- setting specific tasks, deadlines;
- preparing for a change of direction if there are sudden changes in the company's activities;
- increasing the effectiveness of the development of management processes;
- management decision making.
How to build a goal tree
Building a tree is easy enough. Sufficient time should be given to this stage, and all subsequent actions should be carried out according to the plan.
Management determines the company's mission. It is called the general and is the trunk, located at the top of the tree. This is a basic quest that cannot be completed instantly. To reach the end pointsmaller assignments will be required. Therefore, subgoals are defined - they are represented by the branches of the tree. If necessary, the goals are divided into smaller subtasks. The larger the scale of the company, the more levels can be in the structure.
Each species is described as clearly and in detail as possible, all the nuances are analyzed. The number of goals needed to complete the higher mission is analyzed. A properly created structure contains the necessary steps to solve them, the necessary resources are provided.
After determining all the moments, the responsibilities are distributed among the departments of the enterprise. Each unit must clearly carry out its task.
Example: college admissions
Need to parse a simple example from life to better understand the goal tree. How to build and use a college entrance plan?
When parsing, it is necessary to take into account all resources, highlight subgoals. Resources:
- school education;
- financial opportunities;
- help friends and acquaintances for admission and during training.
To become a university student, you need to bring the level of resources to the maximum as much as possible. For example, sign up for preparatory courses, study with a tutor if there are gaps in the knowledge of the school curriculum. Find a solution to the issue of getting money to secure further education: take a loan, borrow, find a source of additional income.
Every goal can be brokenfor smaller tasks. For example, the search for a tutor can be broken down into the following steps:
- Organizing income to pay for tutoring.
- Search for a tutor in the selected direction.
- Search for free time for classes.
In this case, the second paragraph can be divided into parts. The applicant needs to decide which signs he knows the worst, what he can pull up himself, and what he cannot handle on his own.
An example of building financial well-being
The tree of financial well-being goals might look like this. First, the mission is determined - this is a constant income, sufficient to not limit yourself in anything. Implementation is broken down into three subgoals:
- passive income;
- active income;
- side earnings.
There are three second level items in this structure. Now we need to create the third level. The item about finding an active income contains the following tasks:
- search for a better job;
- receiving additional education;
- change of residence;
- allocation of time for independent development of the selected area;
- gain experience.
The graph is built further if additional requirements are found to complete each item. As a result, the tree can grow to very large sizes.
Programs for building a goal tree
The tree can be managed with the help of additional programs. Among themincludes both desktop and online versions. They can be used during a presentation on a big screen or for collaboration with a small team.
Today, a huge number of tools for setting goals, organizing the process of achieving them are offered. In such applications, the user enters the name of the goals, determines their importance category and receives a structured model.
Conclusion
Planning activities using a schedule is not only very convenient, but also effective. This is a tool that allows you to visually see how tasks will interact, what resources will be needed to solve them. Sometimes missing resources are found, new tasks appear. You can see the principle of interaction between intentions and how they depend on each other.
In general, the creation of a schedule can be used not only in business or in planning work-related issues. It's a useful way to find the right answers to personal questions, and a great directional advisor if something important isn't clear enough.
