Objectives

With focusMT, all the objectives of an organization can be mapped transparently and consistently in one central location.

Objectives can be mapped for entire organizations or individual sub-areas. You can start with sub-areas and gradually complete the organization or start at the top level and add the next structural levels step by step.

focusMT supports both the Hoshin process with its typical objective cascade and the catch-ball process as well as the agile and generally short-cycle OKR methodology with objectives and key results. Both methods can be used in parallel in focusMT.

Objectives with variable validity periods can be defined in focusMT. This means that multi-year breakthrough objectives (longterm) as well as annual objectives (midterm) and quarterly objectives (shortterm) can be mapped within a objective cascade.

Smart objectives must be measurable. Either KPIs from the monitoring module or freely definable measurable key results can be used in focusMT as success variables and to define the objective value.

In the Reviews in focusMT, the actual objective achievement and the forecast at the end of the objective period are entered in a freely selectable cycle in addition to the degree of implementation. The status resulting from the forecast and degree of implementation is visualised in the objective cascade and creates a transparent overall status.

Objectives overview

1. Navigate via the menu to Objectives -> Manage objectives.

In the objectives overview, all objectives of the organization are displayed as a structure tree.

The Date filter controls the time period for which you want to display objectives. In addition to entering an explicit start and end date, there are quick filters for selecting quarters and calendar years.

The view buttons control whether the objectives are displayed per organizational unit or in their contribution structure.

The Add button can be used to add new objectives, while Edit can be used to edit or delete existing objectives.

The objective are displayed as a structure tree whose levels can be expanded and collapsed. Harveyballs in front of the objective show the current status of the respective objective. Green goals are "on track" and will probably be achieved, red goals are "off track" and will probably not be achieved. Yellow goals are "at risk" of being realised.

When you click on a objective in the structure tree, detailed information about the objective is displayed in the header on the right-hand side:

• Organizational unit, mentor of the objective as well as start and end date of the objective.
• Assigned KPIs or key results as measurable performance indicators for the objective.

Below this, tabs show further objective details:

• The Description tab can be used to describe the objective in detail.
• In the Reviews tab, the regular checks are entered to review and comment on the progress of the objective. This includes a description and an assessment of the degree of realisation and objective achievement. The most recent review of a objective controls the Harveyball in the objective cascade.
• In the Measures tab, the tasks required to achieve the objective are entered with the name, person responsible, degree of realisation and start/end date. Measures can be agreed for new objectives or as corrective measures for reviews (see PDCA).
• The Subordinate contribution targets tab displays targets with their status that have a direct contribution to the selected objective.
• Conflicts between objectives or incomplete objective information can be noted in the Conflicts tab. Objectives with unresolved conflicts are shown in red in the objective cascade.
• Ideas for realising the objective can be described in the Solution approaches tab. New objectives for subordinate units can be generated directly from these.

Create objective

1. Navigate via the menu to Objectives -> Manage objectives.
2. Click on the Add button.

New objectives can be added in this screen. All mandatory fields are labelled with a red *.

SMART: The progress of the objective acquisition is visualised via the quality criteria for objectives. If all criteria are met, the objective can be saved and is then displayed in the structure tree.

An organizational unit from the organizational structure must be assigned to each objective. This can be a department, a team or, in network organizations, a network.

A superordinate objective can be assigned to each objective. If you select the "None" entry, the objective is assigned to the top level in the contribution hierarchy.

Each objective requires a short and concise objective title. It should be formulated in such a way that it describes the desired state as accurately as possible.

The mentor is the person who keeps the objective in focus and always keeps an eye on its realisation and status.

In the objective description, the objective can be described in more detail in terms of a clear and precise definition so that it can be understood and comprehended by everyone.

The start and end date of the objective are variable and not tied to a fixed time frame. This means that both long-term objectives (e.g. 3-5 year breakthrough objectives) and medium-term objectives (e.g. annual objectives) as well as short-term objectives (e.g. OKR) can be formulated and mapped here.

The measurable performance indicators are then assigned, with which the objective achievement can be clearly checked. These can either be existing KPIs from the monitoring module, for which the objective value is then recorded, or key results, for which the objective achievement is recorded with a separate metric and unit (often only valid for the duration of the OKR).

Once you have confirmed in the last step that the quality criteria Ambitious and Realistic are fulfilled, you can save the objective using the Save button and return to the target overview.

Edit objective

1. Navigate via the menu to Objectives -> Manage objectives.
2. Click on the objective to be edited in the structure
3. Click on the Edit button.

In this modal screen, an objective can be edited. All mandatory fields are labelled with a red * in the same way as for data entry.

You can use the Save button to confirm the changes and return to the objective overview.

Delete objective

1. Navigate via the menu to Objectives -> Manage objectives</mark
2. Click on the objective to be edited in the structure
3. Click on the Edit button
4. Click on the Delete button.
5. Confirm the deletion process with the Delete button.

Entering objective values

1. Navigate via the menu to Objectives -> Enter objective values</mark
2. Click on a objective in the list.

All KPIs are initially displayed on an initial page. In contrast to planned, actual and forecast values, you can also create target values for calculated KPIs. Target and benchmark values are not calculated on the basis of the stored formula.

In the filter bar of the page, you can select the period and filter by responsible persons who were assigned in the KPI definition. You can also use a quick search to filter by description.

The columns in the list show the name, responsibility, unit, time grid and aggregation of the KPI.

Clicking on the name of the objective takes you to the modal screen for recording the objective and benchmark values.

Here you can enter the objective and, if applicable, benchmark values for the time periods of the previously selected year. Monthly values are automatically aggregated into quarterly and annual values and quarterly values into annual values using the aggregation procedure defined for the KPI.

A distribution function of annual values to the individual time periods ensures that the values can be recorded quickly and easily.

As an orientation for the order of magnitude of the objective values, the plan values defined as part of the financial year planning are displayed for information purposes. In practice, ambitious objectives often exceed the planned values.

In the last step, you can save your entries using the Save button and return to the KPI overview.

Tips & tricks

Select as few performance indicators as possible to measure objective achievement. Ideally, one suitable metric that clearly shows whether the objective has been achieved is sufficient.