Setting Goals for WFC Training

Goals. We love them. We set them, we strive for them, we meet them. Sometimes we exceed a goal and sometimes we come up short. Regardless, goals are a great way to motivate us. Now, I am an obsessive goal-setter, but here is the catch. I set too many goals. Why is this a bad thing? Well, when a lot of goals are set, it's common to miss a few. Heck, it's common for me to just plain forget some of them. Why?  They become unmanageable; and when they are unmanageable, they are unimportant. There. I said it.  I know that some folks will argue this point, thinking all goals are important. That just isn't the case.  Setting too many goals lessens their significance, therefore, going against the goal of setting a goal! So what goals should be set for Workforce Timekeeper training?  Shoot, how do we qualify a goal as good in the first place? Here are a few things to think about...

Clarity or Simplicity...  Why not both?

Goals should be both clear AND simple. It is important to have both. It is possible to have a simple, but confusing goal. It is possible to have a goal that is clear, but complex. The key is to avoid both of these. I can hear you already, "But, Workforce Timekeeper is a complex application, won't that mean some of our goals must be complex also?" Workforce Timekeeper CAN BE complex. One of my greatest goals in training Workforce Timekeeper is to minimize that complexity. Generally Workforce is only complex for configuration level tasks. The most common training; Timekeeper, Manager and/or User training should not be complex, or unclear. 

Simplicity can best be maintained by breaking training into tasks that must be completed; then breaking those tasks down to easily understandable "chunks" of information. Now some tasks don't require such a breakdown, as they are awfully simple as they are (adding a punch, for instance) Step one should be to make a list of these required tasks. Once a list is made, review these tasks and determine which ones are complex. You know, really difficult, or confusing. They required a lot of steps and/or none of them are user-friendly. Now, take these tasks and break them down into easily understood "chunks". Then set your goals. 

I find clarity is best reached when we start with a simple process. For example, "I want managers to review exception punches so they are aware of timecard issues." This is a clear goal that must be broken down into several tasks, for example:

1. Sort the Reconcile Timecard Genie to see all employees with missed punches

2. Set the Time Period field appropriately

3. Pull up the timecards of all employees with missed punches

4. Correct the punches

5. Apply a comment and note for all missed punches. 

One goal, five tasks. The goal is clear, the tasks are clear. Most importantly, the tasks clearly branch from the goal. In the above example, simplicity is achieved because the goal is broken down into easily understood steps or tasks. 

Definition and Measurement

Goals must be clearly defined. When they are clear and simple, this is easy to do. A clear and simple goal is easy to define and hopefully, easy to understand. At least that is how it should be. Goals should also be measured. This is why a ToDo list isn't really good for goal setting, although for most of us that is our primary goal setting tool. In a ToDo list, the only measurements are "done" or "not done". Really not a terribly useful measurement. Are ToDo lists helpful? Of course. Are they useful for setting goals? That is more debatable. How do we measure the goal listed above? Here are some ideas:

• Are timecard exceptions being commented on?

• Is the information gained (punch comments) being used?

• How does this task benefit the user? 

• Do these tasks benefit the organization?

We can learn a lot when we define clear and simple goals, then measure them. 

Set Important Goals

The importance of goals is not determined by the number of goals, but by their significance. What are you trying to accomplish? What is required? What do we, as an organization, truly value? What is realistic for our organization? Really well thought out goals are vital. Make sure the goals you set are have meaning to your organization, and the implementation you are a part of, and finally, don't over do it. It's EASY to set a lot of goals. In fact, once you get brainstorming, it's hard to stop. Just remember, is this truly important? Is this really valuable? Is this achievable? The answers to these questions will allow you to set better goals for your implementation and be more successful in your Kronos training.