Defining the project goals

Project goal:The project goal refers to achieving a desired outcome (performance goal) at a specific end date (time goal) employing a specific amount of resources (resource goal).

Performance

To be used as a measure for goal achievement, performance goals must be clearly formulated and the degree of accomplishment verifiable.

Time

Determination of the start and end dates for the overall project and the subprojects, if applicable.

Resources

Staff resources

The staffing requirements for the execution of the project must be planned (possibly separately for the overall and the subprojects).
Moreover, it should be stated if the staff will be available full-time or only for a certain proportion of their time (part-time).
Before details on the project team can be given, the (designated) project manager must check the availability of the potential team members, which requires a consultation with the corresponding staff members and their line managers.

Material/ infrastructure resources

The infrastructural requirements for executing the project (facilities, computer systems etc.) must be indicated.

Competing Project Goals

The three project target values, i.e. performance, time and resources, compete with each other. Each modification of one of these variables has an immediate impact on the two others.
- If for example the requirements with regard to the target value “performance“ are increased, this will usually lead to higher costs or a later project end date.
When defining the goals and in particular when having to adjust the goals to changes, which occur from time to time, all three project target values must be considered together.