Employee Performance
Management and
Appraisals Demystified
STEP
2: SETTING PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES (PO's)
The KPA's
are next "broken up" into specific Performance Objectives
(PO's).
A Performance Objective (also just referred to as an objective)
is a short, concise description of measurable output/outcome
that will contribute to the attainment of performance in a
KPA.
FORMAT OF OBJECTIVES
Objectives need to be put in OUTCOME terms, i.e. WHAT SPECIFICALLY
should be ACHIEVED - a measurable and specific identifiable
product or service that an internal or external customer wants.
This
is necessary as the methods (steps) used in achieving a
particular objective, often vary, and should therefore not
be prescribed. Prescribing in detail how a specific
task should be done will relegate an employee to the level
of a robot, taking away his initiative and individuality.
Objectives consist of two elements: An Action Verb,
and a Noun or Object. Some objectives become
even clearer when the Purpose of the action is also added.
Let's look at some examples of objectives:
ACTION VERB + NOUN/OBJECT
(plus PURPOSE if necessary)
-Conduct a client survey
to establish their changed needs
-Research and implement an
employee suggestion scheme
-Develop a computerized financial
system to replace the present manual version
-Launch a marketing campaign
to promote our 'Y' service
-Increase sales of product
'Z'
-Ensure appropriate stock levels
Objectives should also include Performance Standards.
These are listed along with each objective, but preferably
kept in a separate column on the Employee Performance Appraisal
Form to make them easily identifiable (also see Step 3:
Setting Performance Standards):
So the format is:
KPA's
Performance
Objectives
Performance
Standards
1.
KPA 1
1.1
Objective 1
a
b
c
1.2
Objective 2
a
b
Where Job/Role Descriptions exist that have KPA's with their
related Key Performance Outcomes (KPO's), these KPO's
could/should be used to derive Performance Objectives from.
The latter will be phrased differently though as KPO's are
put in generic terms and standards, whereas PO's are decided
for a specific performance period, incorporating specific
performance standards, e.g.:
KPO's
as per Job/Role Description
PO's
for specific performance period
Achieve
sales as agreed with Sales Manager
Achieve
sales of $300 000 by October 31, 2010
Conduct
customer needs surveys as dictated by prevailing company
marketing priorities
Conduct
a customer needs survey in regions A & B to determine
the potential demand for our new product X
Research
and develop new product lines to maintain company
competitiveness and profitability
R&D
a gadget that will enable car owners to remove wheelnuts
with an electric drill
