Swinburne University PDR Setting objectives

1. Swinburne University PDRSetting objectives

2. The Performance, Development and Rewards (PDR)overview • Developing our people lies at the heart of our vision, which stands to position Swinburne as Australia’s leading university in science, technology and innovation • The PDR approach is designed to ensure we best leverage the talent and experience of our people • By developing clear, realistic performance objectives, providing regular and constructive feedback and actively seeking development opportunities, our people will be well positioned to achieve their potential

3. The Performance, Development and Rewards (PDR)overview • The ultimate purpose of the PDR process is to ensure that, individually and collectively, we fulfil our potential and contribute to the achievement of Swinburne's 2020 Plan • Employees, managers and teams should understand how meeting their objectives align to Swinburne’s 2020 Plan • The performance planning process provides an opportunity to articulate the standards of work and the values and behaviours that are expected • Through the PDR process you should receive constructive feedback from your line manager and key stakeholders in order to highlight what you are doing well and where there are opportunities to improve performance

4. Effective performance management Effective performance management consists of: • Objectives which are aligned to Swinburne’s 2020 Plan • Formal mid year and end of year performance reviews • Regular and in the moment constructive feedback • Evidence based discussions • Identifying and managing poor performance • Clear links to rewards (not just financial) • Alignment to development plans

5. Roles and responsibilities

6. Developing performance objectives

7. Types of performance objectives There are three types of performance objectives. They may be set for the purpose of: • Maintenance – maintaining performance standards for a critical area of responsibility which is currently being performed at an acceptable or more than acceptable level • Problem solving or improvement – solving problems or improving things that are impacting on performance • Innovation – devising new and better ways of doing things

8. Writing SMART Objectives When writing performance objectives make sure they are SMART to facilitate the review process. S Specific When an objective is specific, it leaves no room for doubt about what has to be achieved. It should be concrete, detailed, focused and well defined. A general objective would be ‘manage project’, whereas a specific objective would state, ‘project manage a team of six to successfully achieve all objectives as agreed within required timelines and budget.’ M Measurable How much? By when? How will you know when you’ve succeeded? Using the example above, you must have clear targets in terms of budget, timelines and what constitutes satisfaction. Consider what sources of information are required to evidence achievement for your remaining performance objectives. A Achievable Do you have the skills and resources to do this? With a reasonable amount of effort and stretch, can this be completed? Objectives are most achievable when you plan your steps, get the right advice and support, and set a realistic time frame. R Relevant Is the objective relevant to your role and the business unit or faculty plan? Is it something toward which you are willing and able to work? It’s important that your performance objectives stretch you, but also that they within your capability to achieve. T Time-bound When will it be achieved? What are the milestones along the way? An objective won’t motivate you unless it has a deadline.

9. Three key elements - performance objectives Measures Define precisely what is to be achieved. They should be stretching but achievable and should reflect the expectations of the role. Measures may be qualitative or quantitative and may need to met several different targets. Objective A desired output or result. It should be a single sentence that contains an action verb and clear end result. Actions Series of tasks and activities that need to be completed during the performance cycle that will progress you towards achieving your performance objective. Your actions act as progress ‘checklist’ for your reference during the performance cycle.

10. Swinburne behaviours Swinburne behaviours should be considered when assessing your performance against objectives. This means that you should consider ‘how’ an you have achieved your performance objectives as well as ‘what’ has been achieved. Behaviours are a benchmark of acceptable practises and expectations and provide a framework against which our people make decisions and take actions which ultimately affect the performance of Swinburne. Swinburne’s behaviours are:

11. Weighting performance objectives • Performance objectives are weighted in order to reflect the relative value of one • objective to another • Sometimes one objective is determined to be more important than others and requires • greater focus/time commitment • Weighting helps to direct time and attention to high priority objectives • Objectives should be weighted according to the amount of time and effort required to • produce the outcome as well as the impact or importance of the outcome • Final weightings need to be agreed between the manager and the employee and • recorded in the online PDR tool or paper based plan as appropriate

12. Check list for formulating performance objectives • Refer to the position description, the business unit or faculty plan and Swinburne’s 2020 Plan. • Think about strengths and development needs. What feedback has been provided previously? What needs to be achieved in the next 12 months? • Think about how objectives align to those of the business unit or faculty. • Do objectives provide sufficient challenge and development for the individual? • Are the objectives SMART?