One of the major themes of any organization is to ensure that those who write the paycheck “get value for money” for whatever functions managed. The process below is a way of defining the value created by individuals or teams into precise measures that define the value they deliver for the money they are paid.

This process translates the Objectives/Goals/Duties/Responsibilities from Job Descriptions into Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Framed (SMART) objectives with the additional features of: proportionate value, weightings and standards. The process when conducted as a teambuilding exercise can promote consensus about the performance standards and teamwork and how to produce collective and individual results. These features of Weightings and Standards enable SMART objectives to be equated with value. Value is getting what the employer expects for the money the employer pays.

This means the employee creates value for their deliverables (products and services) at a Standard of at least Satisfactory. Satisfactory is defined as the Standard that earns the paycheck and justifies the other expenses of creating the results. Very Good, which is a higher standard, creates a value of 105% compared to what is paid for that service. Excellent, an even higher standard, creates a value of 110% for the cost of the service. In this case, cost means the total compensation paid to the employee for the work he is supposed to do. By using this methodology, staff can reach a clear understanding of what is a minimum standard or Satisfactory performance and be able to do this, in measurable terms.

The Performance Standard Template provides the structure for the alignment exercise. When the template is complete, it becomes the Performance Profile to show how each individual or team creates results that are based on the Duties/Goals/Objectives  as described in Job Descriptions. It is then up to the staff to manage how it will accomplish the objectives. Once complete, this should be a good beginning for achieving clarity regarding who does what by when at a standard of at least Satisfactory, as defined by specific measures.

Click here to read what you can do to manage your staff into a confident and effective team.