What is a vision?
Your vision answers the question "What do I want?" A clear vision help you communicate why you're here and what impact you're going to have.
Your vision should be aligned with the company vision, with your manager's V2MOM, and it should be personal. It should be an honest reflection of your own vision for your own work.
If you manage a team, it should be reflective of the purpose of the team and your collective impact.
What's a good summary of your vision?
Describe your vision in further detail (optional)
What are values?
Your values answer the question "What is important to me as I pursue my vision?" Think of your values as principles and beliefs that guide the everyday decisions you'll make on priorities.
Prioritize your values, get aligned with your team and your manager on these values because clarity here will help make so other decisions easier throughout the year.
For each value:
- List the value.
- Describe the value (recommended).
What are methods?
Your methods answer the question "What am I going to do?" or if you're managing a team, "What are WE going to do?"
Use your methods to describe what high-level actions and steps are required to achieve the vision. Prioritize your methods so that everyone understands where you're focused.
For each method:
- List the method.
- Describe the method (recommended).
- Define obstacles and measures for each method (see below).
Note that obstacles are defined in the scope of each method.
What are obstacles?
Obstacles define the challenges, problems, and issues you need to overcome in order to complete your methods and achieve your vision.
What the biggest challenge you face? What's going to make your work hard? What's going to get in your way? By honestly confronting these obstacles up front, you can plan for them. Once again, prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.
For each obstacle:
- List the obstacle.
- Describe the obstacle (recommended).
Note that measures are defined in the scope of each method.
What are measures (aka metrics)?
Measures answer the question "How will I know if I am successful?" Measures specific the actual result you're aiming to achieve.
It's a best practice to specify a numerical outcome and a time-frame. Prioritize your measures - most important measures first, "nice to haves" at the end.
For each measure:
- List the measure.
- Define how you will track that measure. (Ed. note: this is probably an implementation detail of work.com.) Examples include:
- Measure progress by tracking actual vs. targeted (e.g. 450K/600K)
- Measure progress as a percentage (e.g. 75%)
- Measure achievement against a set target (e.g. 7.5 / 10)
- Measure achievement based on completion
- Define the target outcome.