Process Goals vs. Development Goals: The Foundation of Effective Process Improvement

Why Clarity in Process Goals Drives Excellence

In many cases, the process goal stays the same—while the development goal shapes how that outcome is achieved. Let's make this concrete with a simple example: the process of sending outgoing invoices.

• Process Goal: Speed and Accuracy
  Example: “Send a correct invoice within 24 hours of service delivery.”
  → This defines the intended result of the process.
• Process Development Goal: Optimize How We Get There
  Examples:
  • Reduce the rate of invoice complaints to 1%
  • Lower internal effort per invoice
  • Improve forecasting accuracy for outgoing invoices

What becomes clear: the development goal doesn’t change the what, but the how. And that difference matters. Clear separation between these two dimensions makes it easier to define meaningful improvements—and measure success.

5 Principles for Sustainable Process Improvement

1. No development without direction
Without clear development goals, process changes happen at random. A process becomes “different,” but not “better.” You need a benchmark to define what improvement even means.

2. Involve the right people
Ask yourself: Who actually cares about how this process evolves? Besides the usual suspects (process owners and participants), think about “external” stakeholders—maybe even customers. Their input can be a game-changer.

3. Separate the goals from the process documentation
During current-state analysis, be strict about this:

• Process goals must be crystal clear
• Development goals can remain open or exploratory

This keeps things focused and avoids mixing strategy with execution too early.

4. Clarity ends deadlocks
Stuck in endless debates about a broken process? Chances are, no one knows what the development goal actually is. A shared goal breaks the deadlock and gives the discussion a direction.

5. Prioritize what matters most
You can’t improve everything at once. Development goals often compete with one another—so focus on what creates the biggest impact. Ask:
“What can we do today to move closer to our development goal?”

Why This Matters

Process improvement isn’t just about tweaking steps. It’s about defining why we want to improve—and how we measure progress. By clearly separating outcome from optimization, organizations gain strategic focus, minimize wasted effort, and move faster toward meaningful results.

In short:
Clear process goals define success.
Clear development goals shape progress.
And clarity in both is the key to lasting effectiveness.