Goals

To develop PATH goals, employees and supervisors should collaboratively review the employee's job description, the goals/objectives of the department, and the mission of the department/division. They should then determine the following to begin to develop goals:

• The most important aspects of the role
• The mission-critical functions of the role
• Areas where the employee could grow skills and capabilities
• New or emerging initiatives that will require extra attention and/or learning

PATH goals should be S.M.A.R.T. goals, in that they should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Use the checklist below to determine the strength of your developed goals.

Checklist for Writing PATH Goals

 Does the goal clearly link to the strategic goals or objectives of your supervisor, department/team, division, and the University?
 Does the goal relate to critical or important work you perform? (Was the objective written using your job description to ensure  alignment?)
 Does the goal provide a degree of challenge that will stretch you, yet will still be achievable?
 Is the desired end-result described in the goal observable or verifiable? In other words, does the goal include at least one type of measurement (e.g., quality, quantity, a data point, or timeliness)?
 Does the goal specify a period of performance (i.e., is it time-bound, such as "within six months" or "by June 1st")?
 If the goal spans more than a single PATH cycle (July to June), does it allow for you to document progress during the PATH End-of-Year review?