Creating annual performance goals for Business Analysts can be a challenge.  Here are tips for goal setting and some sample goals to help you achieve the right outcomes.

A Lightning Cast is a shorter form episode modeled after lightning talks.  You’ll get valuable content in 8 minutes or less.

WHY SETTING GOALS IS IMPORTANT

Annual goal setting helps you to focus on specific outcomes and achieve things that matter.  The metrics related to those goals can also help you to understand what success looks like.

When setting goals, think about the outcome you want for your career and for your organization.  What goal, if you achieved it, would have the greatest impact on you and your organization?

 

GOALS AND METRICS FOR BUSINESS ANALYSTS

Typical goals for Business Analysts often center around requirements quality and speed of delivery.

The goal that most directly relates to performance for Business Analysts is achieving a specific stakeholder net promoter score.  A net promoter score is a value between -100 and 100 based on the stakeholder response to the question:

Would you recommend this Business Analyst to a colleague or for a future project?

The stakeholders rate your performance on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 being very likely).  To calculate the net promoter score, subtract the percentage of stakeholders who score you a 9 or 10 from those who score you a 6 or below.

An example of a goal related to net promoter score is: Achieve an average net promoter score of 80 for all projects completed in 2019.

 

Requirements Related Goals

A common goal for Business Analysts is one focused of requirements quality or speed.  Sample goals include:

  • Have no more than three project change requests due to missed requirements during 2019.
  • Limit defects due to missed requirements to one per quarter for 2019
  • Produce business requirements documents in 30 days or less for 80% of my projects
  • Maintain two sprints of ready stories throughout 2019

 

Goals to Benefit Your Organization

Another way to elevate the impact you have on your organization is to have goals related to outcomes you drive for your team.  Examples of such goals include:

  •  Recommend at least three process improvements per quarter and implement at least two improvements by November 1, 2019
  • Learn our new digital order system and lead requirements elicitation for an initiative involving that system by June 1, 2019
  • Share a new technique at the Business Analyst Community of Practice by May 1, 2019
  • Earn my CBAP certification by April 25, 2019 

 

Listen to this lightning cast for more sample performance goals and tips to help you set the right goals.

 

 

Thank you for listening to the program

To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes and other podcatchers.

Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.

.Subscribe on iTunes  Listen on Google Play Music  Available on Stitcher Radio  Subscribe on Android