The last blog post in our goal-setting series covered tips for setting good, achievable goals. Now that you’ve made those goals, it’s time to get cracking on them. However, it can be difficult to implement goal tracking for how much progress you’re making on your business goals.
There are lots of effective ways of real-time goal tracking for your business goals. Lets look at a few ways to do this.
Use Real-Time Goal Tracking Programs
Programs like Asana make tracking tasks incredibly simple for those who like checklist formats for their tasks. A downside to Asana is that it’s reliant on the task’s assignee to keep up to date with it.
While Asana is free to use to an extent, programs and software will typically come at a cost. However, many of them come with a large suite of tools and analytic systems to help with goal tracking as well.
Software and program options can also be a benefit for companies with multiple active employees. This is because enterprise-level software can make it easier to sync with others involved with your business.
ConvertKit provides a comprehensive list of other real-time goal tracking systems you can use for real-time goal tracking.
Make An Updateable Tracking Template
Smartsheet has some great samples of goal tracking templates that can be converted into real-time updatable trackers.
If you aren’t quite into that style then having your own template that can be adjusted based on client needs can also be a huge asset to goal tracking for your business.
Paper templates can be more appealing to some smaller businesses than software options. For companies that are more used to writing out deliverables sheets or daily summaries of their work, something like this will have a better feel than clicking a bunch of buttons in a new program.
On that note, always remember to consider which option is best for your business’s work environment. The best utility doesn’t always mean the best fit.
Set Up Accountability Systems
This is probably the most high-level method of real-time goal tracking and one that might not be the best fit for a lot of businesses.
Using an accountability system typically involves consistent reporting to a supervisor who looks after the progress that was made. They are then responsible to make sure that deadlines and tasks which might be brushed under the rug are taken care of.
The software or template-style goal tracking mentioned before technically act as that go-between. However, accountability systems rely on the human element of person-to-person communication to build a stronger bond to keep goal progress on track.
Conclusion
In summary, we’ve gone over three methods for real-time goal tracking. Use a goal-tracking program or software, use a paper or live, updateable spreadsheet template, or set up a reliable in-person accountability system.
Always consider the needs of your business first when choosing a system to use as not all of them might be the right fit for your needs.
Not sure about how to factor in the long-term for your small business? Next in our goal-setting series, we discuss How Strong Annual Goals Can Help Plan Your Year.
