Know and Write Well Your Outcome — Two Keys To Writing PI Objectives

PI Objective is a LYNCHPIN… a lynchpin is something that when it is missing, everything crumbles… it holds everything together… a very important piece of the whole grand scheme of things! Therefore, since PI Objectives are LYNCHPINS… make sure that these are:

1) Actionable… each PI Objective starts with a verb!

2) SMART objective/goal — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic (Relevant), Time bound!

Bottom line:
Know and write well your outcome… your objectives… the “end”… and be flexible to your approach (the “means” (i.e., Features, stories)) to that “end”.
Your outcome is actionable
Your outcome is SMART

Details:

This is the Pattern on how to write a PI Objective: Verb + SMART objective/goal

Personal example … this is applicable to SAFe as well:

Lose 5 pounds in one month

Let’s dissect it…

Objective starts with a verb : Lose

Followed by a SMART objective/goal … Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time bound.

Specific: Yup … by just reading it, I know immediately as to what the desired outcome is. The goal is clear, concise, compelling, consistent and one can commit to.

Measurable : 5 Pounds lost weight.

Achievable : yes, within control.

Realistic : yup … a doable plan exists… not a pie-in-the-sky kind-of-thing.

Tip: replace ‘Realistic’ with ‘Relevant’; much more appropriate and powerful. ‘Realistic’ is almost a duplicate of ‘Achievable’. In fact, a lot great things were first not ‘Realistic’ ! Is it relevant to you and to mankind … much better… makes you get off bed and go to work on that goal!

Time bound : achieved in one month.

REMEMBER: Know and write well your outcome… your objectives… the “end”… and be flexible to your approach (the “means” (i.e., Features, stories)) to that “end”.

There are more ideas like this in my two books — both are available for purchase on Amazon.

SAFe (6.0) Is Like…
This reached “#1 New Release” on Amazon