Goals, Processes, & Habits: A Recipe for Success

Teresa Torres describes how she turns annual priorities into workable plans: first into measurable product goals and process goals, then into concrete processes that deconstruct each goal, and finally into habits that support those processes. She draws on Jason Selk's goal taxonomy and David Allen's separation of planning from doing. The core idea is that goals fail less from lack of motivation than from unexamined assumptions and unplanned exceptions, so habits should be designed with rewards, punishments, redundancies, and periodic checks. This matters because it gives product people a practical method for converting strategy into sustained execution.

01Key takeaways

• Translate annual priorities into ultimate, product, and process goals, with product goals measurable within twelve months.
• Deconstruct each goal into concrete processes and block the time on your calendar to test feasibility.
• Set goals that stretch you but are not so hard that you abandon them.
• Focus on the exceptions, since that is usually where processes break down, and plan for them ahead of time.
• Build redundant fallback rules, such as a second reading slot if the morning one is missed, so goals survive disruptions.
• Plan thoroughly up front so execution during the year can run on autopilot.

02Key sections

Translating priorities into goals

Priorities become ultimate, product, and process goals, with product goals being measurable outcomes achievable within a year. Torres uses examples like capping consulting hours and setting a quality measure for course students.

Designing processes

Each goal is broken into the concrete steps needed to achieve it, such as calendaring time and defining when a course is good enough to move on. Goals should be uncomfortable but not so hard that they get abandoned.

Building supporting habits

Hidden assumptions behind each process are turned into habits using rewards and punishments, built-in redundancies for exceptions, and monthly or quarterly monitoring with adjustments.

Separating planning from doing

Borrowing from David Allen, Torres front-loads planning in an annual review so that during the year she can focus on execution rather than deciding what to do next.

Closing and next steps

The post closes by inviting readers to share their own annual review processes and previews a future post on favorite books.

03From the post

“It’s December which means it’s time to reflect on the year and look forward to the coming year. Last week, I wrote about my annual retrospective and how I choose priorities for the coming year. Today, I’ll explain how I translate those priorities into goals, design processes”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.