The process of going through this historical review and developing a profile of the business and its environment, focuses management on what could be accomplished in the future. The second day's agenda is to determine where the company should be going in the future. These are the goal statements. Keep the number of company goals to a reasonable level, somewhere between seven to fifteen. Establish objectives that support each goal.
Objectives are the quantifiable and measurable benchmarks that reflect each goal statement.
These benchmarks enable one to judge whether the goal has been reached. Write each goal and supporting objectives on a separate large sheet of paper and then tack the sheets to a wall in full view of the management group. List the challenges that have to be met to achieve those objectives. The group discussion should focus on determining the strategies that will be necessary to reach overcome the challenges and reach the goals. Back at the office, the strategies can be expanded and action plans developed for each department in support of the company goals.