Business Objectives: A Key Tool for Demonstrating the Value of Technical Communication Products
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/stc/tc/1998/00000045/00000003/art00010
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  peer-reviewed

Carliner, Saul
Technical Communication Online
1998

Abstract:

Little has been written for technical communicators on how to identify the business goals of the projects we work on, or how to write those goals in observable, measurable terms. When we prepare goals in observable, measurable terms, we call these goals objectives. This article is intended to fill that gap. It first describes the challenges of setting business objectives for a project, next describes the three ways that a performance improvement program can contribute to the business performance of an organization, and then explains how to write a business objective. Finally, this article describes the benefits of writing business objectives.