Starting a project without a goal? How to be sure it won't happen to you

When clients bring me in to work on a project, whether it’s to optimize their website or a crowdfunding campaign, my first question is always the same: “What are your goals for this project? What’s the ultimate outcome that you want to achieve?”

This might seem like a very obvious thing to ask, but you’d be surprised how often clients struggle to articulate an answer. They know they have a good reason to take on the venture, but they haven’t had to put it into words before. Sometimes, they’re too close to the issue; they need to get a little distance before they can see it or explain it.

But stating a specific goal clearly is incredibly important for any project — a must-have, no matter how difficult it is. In fact, it’s all the more important when it comes to projects that you’re running on your own, without professional outside help.

Why do you need a goal?

Having a defined goal is the best way to ensure that you approach the project in an efficient and organized way. When you know exactly what you want to accomplish, you can put together a plan that delivers exactly that – nothing more, nothing less.

Let’s take the example of website optimization. Defining your goal means answering the question: Why do you want to optimize your website? What objective are you trying to reach, and why isn’t your website able to get you there in its present state? If you can verbalize these thoughts, you can determine precisely what kinds of features are missing.

On the other hand, if all you can say is that you don’t like your current website, that doesn’t really give your designer or marketing team much to work with. They can create a website that’s different, but if you can’t point them in the right direction, how likely is it that they’re going to be able to hit the target?

Even if they ultimately pull together something that feels right, how many false starts did it take before they got there? How much effort did you waste on things that really didn’t need to be a part of the process? How much money did you spend, only to later realize that you’d be better off coming at things from a different angle?

Starting from a distinct goal gives you better results with much, much less frustration. This is true for every aspect of your marketing, not just your website. If you don't know what goal you want your video to achieve, how do you know how long it should be, what it should focus on, or where it should be posted?

Ok. I’m convinced. How can I pinpoint my goal?

If you’re struggling to describe your goal, it can help to talk to someone who isn’t connected to the issue. In fact, even if you feel like you have a good handle on things, it’s still a good idea to run your thoughts by an outsider and see if they pick up on any red flags.

This can be a friend or colleague, someone whose judgment you trust. Or it can be a consultant with experience in the specific area of the current project.

What you want to make sure of at this stage is that you really understand what problem you’re trying to solve. For instance, you might think that you’re redesigning your website simply to make it look more professional. But dig a little deeper – why is it important for your website to look professional? Whom are you trying to impress? Are there specific steps you should be taking to connect with your target audience beyond just the general idea of professionalism?

If you don’t really understand the problem you’re facing – if you don’t grasp the bigger picture, or if you lose sight of it somewhere along the way – it should hardly be surprising when your chosen solution doesn’t deliver the most impressive results.

Following through

Once you have a goal in mind, the next step is to make sure that your chosen course of action is actually right for that goal.

Ask yourself: “Knowing my goal, how appropriate is this solution? If it is appropriate, how can I measure the success of this project in relation to meeting this underlying goal?”

I suggest writing your answers down rather than just talking them out with yourself. Writing things down makes them more concrete. When you have to express yourself in full sentences and paragraphs, any holes in your logic will quickly become apparent.

If you find that you can’t answer these questions, I would say that you’re not ready to move forward just yet. Keep working at it until you feel that you have a solid guiding vision that will allow you to see the project through in a coherent way.

This is the approach that I’ve always taken in my work helping organizations with their fundraising and student recruitment. If you’d like some help, you can learn more about my services here (Fundraising) (Attract participants). Feel free to reach out!