"Mission" and "vision". Analysis stage Information composition of the vision

The activities of an organized project management team are a system of actions united by a common goal and aimed at the subject area of the project 1. The vision of the project's prospects is the foundation on which not only the project manager, but also members of the project team, as well as other project participants build their approaches to the project. This is a picture of the state of the project that can be achieved in the distant future under the most favorable circumstances and to which the aspirations of its participants are directed. A vision is usually the result of a mental movement from the known to the unknown, creating the future by assembling known facts, hopes, dreams, taking into account dangers and opportunities.

The project manager must have a clear vision of the project's future, as well as the determination, leadership and professional skills, and creativity in order to lead the team and project personnel towards realizing the vision. Formulating a vision allows you to communicate approaches in a clear and concise manner. The content of the vision is a written statement of views on the key elements of the chosen strategy 2.

Project mission

The role of the mission is to orient people who perceive the project from the outside and inside in a single direction. In a broad sense, a mission is the philosophy, purpose, and raison d'être of a project.

The project philosophy rarely changes and defines the values, beliefs and principles by which project participants intend to carry out their activities.

Purpose defines the activities that project participants intend to carry out and can vary depending on the depth of possible changes to the project and its environment.

The raison d'être of the project is to satisfy the needs and expectations of the consumer of the project's outcome as fully as possible, while well balancing the interests of the project participants and public interests.

The fundamental difference between a vision and a mission is that a vision is an ideal “picture” of the future state of affairs that project participants strive for, while a mission reveals a course of action.

The mission, to a greater or lesser extent, should reflect the interests of the project participants, as well as the subjects that make up its immediate and distant environment, therefore it is developed taking into account:

the existing style of behavior and method of action of project participants;

resources that can be put into action to achieve the goals;

state of the external environment of the project;

distinctive features of a particular project.

The mission of the organization, as a formulated statement, is developed by the project participants, who are empowered to make decisions. Usually the mission is formulated in two versions. The short version of the mission consists of two or three sentences - a brand slogan for the project, aimed at creating a very specific image of the project (for example, honesty and openness, working in a single team, free exchange of information).

An extended version of the mission is being developed for internal use and should detail all the necessary aspects of the mission, such as targets, philosophy, capabilities and methods of implementing the project, its results, and the like.

The mission becomes effective only when the project participants internally agree with it and follow its provisions in their activities. Therefore, it is very important that the mission is formulated extremely clearly and understandably to all project participants; excluded the possibility of ambiguous interpretation; left room for creative and flexible development of thought; did not contain specific instructions as to what, how and in what time frame should be done.

The content of the mission should not depend on the current state of affairs, since it expresses aspirations for the future, showing where efforts will be directed and what values will be a priority. Thus, it is not customary to indicate profit making as the main goal of the project. A correctly defined mission, although it always has a general philosophical meaning, necessarily carries something that makes a particular project unique.

Steps that must be taken to create a Vision document:

Formulation of problems.
Identification of co-owners
Defining system boundaries
Identifying Constraints
Statement of objectives
Determining system capabilities
Evaluation of results

To describe problems, a template is proposed, shown in table. 7.1.

Identification of co-owners involves searching and recording those interested in the project - representatives of the Customer and the Contractor, investors, external experts, etc.

Determining the boundaries of a system is not a trivial process. For this they use context diagrams(see materials "Advanced requirements analysis. Modeling"). RUP in the search for boundaries suggests starting from factors and use cases.

Sources of restrictions usually include:

Political,
Economic,
Wednesdays,
Technical,
Execution,
System.

The system capability description is a statement of high-level requirements.

The "Vision" RUP document template contains the following main sections:

Introduction
Positioning
Descriptions of co-owners and users
Product overview
Product Features
Restrictions
Quality indicators
Seniority and priorities
Other product requirements
Documentation requirements
Application.

The introduction describes the purpose of the document, its context (relationship and interaction with various projects), definitions, acronyms and abbreviations, links to other documents, and a summary.

In chapter " positioning" the definition of the problem(s) being solved is placed, the target customer is indicated, and the business advantages of the product over similar ones on the market are explored.

In the description of co-owners and users, in addition to the actual description of these two groups, the demographics of the market are examined: target market segments, size and growth rate of the market, existing competitive offers in the market, reputation of the Developer in the market.

A brief overview of products contains a summary of the product, a description of its prospects and key capabilities, assumptions and dependencies, indicates the cost and its calculation, and discusses licensing and installation issues.

In the section on product features, they are described in more detail, each in a separate paragraph.

The “Limitations” section should include existing technical, technological and other circumstances that must be taken into account at this stage.

Chapter " Quality indicators"contains a description of the most significant non-functional requirements for the system (efficiency, reliability, fault tolerance, etc.).

The “Seniority and Priorities” section ranks the previously formulated requirements and capabilities of the system by degree of importance, order of implementation, etc.

The section "Other product requirements" describes the applicable standards, system requirements, operational requirements, environmental requirements.

Documentation requirements include key features of the User's Guide, Online Help, Installation and Configuration Guide, File Read Me.

Attributes of capabilities are included in the application. RUP recommends the following set of attributes: status, benefit, scope, risk, stability, target release, purpose, reason.

Vision/framework at MSF

According to the MSF white paper, the visioning phase lays one of the fundamental foundations for project success - creation and consolidation of the project team based on the development of a common vision. Project group must clearly imagine what she wants to do for the customer and formulate her goal in such a way as to maximally motivate both the customer and the project team itself. Developing a high-level view of the project's goals and conditions can be considered an early form of planning; it sets the stage for the processes of creating detailed plans that will be carried out directly during the planning phase.

Main tasks phases of concept development are the creation of a core project team (see below) and preparation document general description and scope of the project(vision/scope document). Forming a project vision and specifying its scope are not the same thing, although both are necessary for the project to be successful. A vision is an open-ended idea of what a solution should be. The framework (scope) gives clear boundaries of what is proposed by this vision will be implemented under the existing design restrictions.

Management of risks is an iterative process carried out throughout the entire project life cycle. During the concept phase project group prepares a risk assessment document and presents the main risks of the project along with a general description and scope of the project. For further information on risk management, see the Risk Management Discipline White Paper

Those who studied management at university, and even those who read books on this subject, know such concepts as “mission” and “vision”.

Ultrasmart words

To formulate a “mission” and “vision”, some companies hire consultants who walk around the organization with a smart look, survey employees and “crystallize” from their collective opinion something that then turns into what these two ultra-intelligent people probably mean words. Why ultra-intelligent? Yes, because not a single businessman out of several thousand who took part in my seminars (and among them were very educated and very influential, believe me), gave me a correct and precise definition of these concepts.

Some aspiring businessmen who had just graduated from a university or something like that rattled off the definition from a textbook, but when tested, demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of how to apply these concepts in practice. With all this, what stands behind these two words, their anatomy and idea, is the highest level of activity planning. People accepted this with the help of books, agreed, but, unfortunately, in the overwhelming majority of cases, this is where the process stopped.

I'm not saying that no one has a "mission" or "vision". Eat. But, Firstly, in units. A Secondly, half of them are formulated for show, and do not fulfill their purpose. They are not fulfilling their “mission”. So don’t think that everything around d’Artagnan is just wrong with you. You are not alone. And the reasons for this are extremely compelling. Here I recommend watching the video section "" to the website

Purpose and mission of the company

Real understanding of your real purpose is not just PR for you. (Some cynical consultants argue that “mission” and “vision” are just statements used solely for PR purposes in order to lure the public. Like this kind of manipulation: we will tell you a couple of magic words that will make you drool, and you will come with us like zombies. Fortunately, it doesn’t work like that). Misunderstanding of this topic is also expressed in dictionaries, so you don’t have to rummage through a search engine - I’ve already rummaged. The definitions are twenty percent accurate each; I give them as an example and not as the correct answer.

Like this kind of manipulation: we’ll tell you a couple of magic words that will make you drool, and you’ll come with us like a zombie

Modern economic dictionary:mission of the organization(Latin missio - parcel, order) - economic purpose, vocation, purpose of existence of an organization.

Dictionary of Economics and Finance: mission of the organization- the philosophy and purpose of the organization, the meaning of its existence in the market, the difference between the organization and other organizations. An organization's philosophy defines its culture and social values. The purpose of the organization is characterized by the goals and objectives for the implementation of which the organization carries out its activities. Typically, the mission proclaims: - social obligations and civic responsibility to society;

Principles of attitude towards various public groups, the environment, etc.

Closest to the truth Wikipedia, there is a correct definition (well, finally), but an incorrect explanation (technically inaccurate, making the implementation of the definition possible only for those who understand how to do it in practice. A person who is trying to understand the issue for the first time, trying to use this definition letter by letter, will experience insurmountable difficulties means it is inaccurate).

Wikipedia:

Mission- one of the fundamental concepts of strategic management. Different scientists have given different formulations of the mission, but in general two approaches to understanding the mission can be distinguished. In a broad sense mission is the philosophy and purpose, the meaning of existence of the organization.

Strategic management of the company

Mission- the philosophy of the organization defines the values and principles according to which the organization intends to carry out its activities. Purpose defines the activities that an organization intends to carry out and what goals it intends to achieve. The philosophy of the organization is determined at the stage of formation of the organization and rarely changes, while the purpose can change in the process of changes in both the internal and external environment of the organization. In a narrow sense mission is the definition of what or for what reason an organization exists, i.e. the mission should reveal the meaning of the organization’s existence, which reveals the difference between this organization and similar ones.

Usually the mission is formulated in two versions. The short version of the mission is 1-2 short sentences - a brand slogan of the organization, aimed primarily at creating the image of the organization in society. The second - extended version of the mission is most often formulated for internal use and should detail all the necessary aspects of the mission, including:

the purpose of the organization's functioning,
area of activity of the organization,
philosophy of the organization,
methods for achieving goals,
methods of interaction between the organization and society (social policy of the organization).

A correctly defined mission, although it always has a general philosophical meaning, nevertheless, necessarily carries something that makes it unique in its kind, characterizing exactly the organization in which it was developed.

End of quote.

What's wrong with this is the overcomplication of the concept. The definition itself is surprisingly accurate. But if you try to figure it out in dictionaries, what does it mean? organizational philosophy , but you won’t find the exact concept and will get confused. A methods can be so extensive that they will include all regulations and codes, which will clearly go beyond the scope of the mission, and will affect the next, separate (and very extensive) level of planning -

In general, the definition given in Wikipedia is working, it just needs to be thrown out of it philosophy and any mention of it, and methods. If you go no further than the Wikipedia definition of purpose, then you will formulate what can really be called a mission. Do you see how much confusion there is? And “mission” is still a simple word. There are more problems with “vision”. And that's why.

Right Vision

"Vision"- incorrect translation of the word vision. The translation of this word is not “vision”, but “dream”. This is how it is most often used in English. This is a synonym for the word dream. So " vision“is simply the goal of the organization in the form that its founder (goal setter) dreams of. In the “mission” there is a goal, in the “vision” there is a goal - how to figure it out? These goals are global.

Personally, I was helped to understand this issue by the texts of L. Ron Hubbard, written on the topic of goals about thirty to forty years before the topic of “mission and vision” generally became fashionable in management. Hubbard does not use the words "mission" and "vision", he uses the terms "goal" and "purpose", which in Russian translations of his works are designated as "goal" and "design". Since these are tools used at the same level of planning, and the definitions are very similar, then most likely we are talking about the same phenomenon.

According to Hubbard « target» - this is a large-scale object of aspiration, something that needs to be achieved in the strategic sense of the word. For example, “conquer Everest.” This concept is most likely equivalent to the word "vision". A goal has a specific moment of its implementation and a criterion such as feasibility. In essence, this is a global goal that can be achieved, after which a new global goal will need to be set. « Concept» - this is “a smaller goal that specifies actions”, as well as “intention” and “purpose”. Very similar to a “mission” as formulated on Wikipedia.

PR can use both. But such values are not formulated for PR purposes - this would be a cynical deception, an attempt at manipulation, which, due to their falsity, will still not lead to anything good. “Our goal is communism!” was written on the roof of my parents' house in Samara in huge luminous letters. Today, most people know for certain the true goals of the rulers of those years. The communists used "mission" and "vision" for PR purposes, and nothing more. Unfortunately, their society died out. The same fate will befall any organization that lies to its employees and the public. The smaller the size of the organization, the faster extinction will occur.

The same fate will befall any organization that lies to its employees and the public.

I don’t care about acceptability, about the formulations accepted in society. What do you really want? If you are frank, completely honest with yourself and with people, you will get three effects. First: You will not have to change your “mission” and “vision” unless your worldview changes (other factors will not play a role). Second: you will be surprised to find that real like-minded people are joining you, and not “passengers”. AND third: The real goal will be realized. This is magic.

There is such a serious catch in all this that many will be shocked before they even begin. Two points become clear. Firstly, people really do not know their own goals and cannot formulate them. And these are not toys, but a very painful condition, which a strong person strives to get rid of, but cannot. Secondly, the true goals that motivate a person are often buried under a pile of rubbish, such as “buy a new jeep,” so you can’t figure it out without outside help. Well, there always remain those 2.5% of people whose real goals are destructive. But such people are a minority, and the world moves forward not because of them, but in spite of them.

A difficult subject, isn't it? However, no. This is just an appearance. And those who understand it experience such enormous relief that their business often automatically increases significantly. First, order in the head, then in business - and off we go.

Someone will figure it out on their own. I take my hat off to him.

Vadim Malchikov,

founder of the Central Training Company

Vision– this is a description of the ideal state of the company in the future, a guideline for the company’s movement. The vision promotes motivation throughout the organization, so its formula should inspire everyone. The company's vision is more than the goals of the company or its management (to earn so much and so much) and its mission. Although the latter is often described in similar terms to vision. Strategic business planning begins with a vision statement. A vision provides a company with a guide to action. Term in English: vision statements.

An enterprise can be successful for a long time if the employees of the enterprise identify themselves with it. They must know why their enterprise operates, what the meaning of its activities is. And if they know the answer, and the answer sounds positive, then on an emotional level they are ready to put in their efforts to achieve the goal. Because they now have a vision of the matter. And self-identification with this matter occurs. Why are we doing what we are doing today? Where do we see ourselves in 5-10 years?

Vision model

D. Collins describes the following vision model. It includes two important components: – core ideology – imagined future (envisioned future). The core ideology consists of core values and core purpose (mission). The imagined future necessarily includes goals (See Goal Setting) that contain a challenge for the company and a clear description of the results of achieving these goals. A vision is not an abstract desire. It must be built on a real basis and correspond to reality. Clarification of the company's vision is facilitated by the development of new products, the introduction of new technologies, and the reorganization of structures. This all leads to clarifying the meaning and collaboration of employees. Every employee plays a role here. The vision of a company or business is more than just a summary of the main goals of the company. However, goals and mission have much in common. They must match each other. Often goals are derived from the vision and mission of the business. And if one relates to the other, then the vision, mission and goals of the business look realistic. Credibility is a key principle in articulating a business vision. The assumption here is that the vision statement takes the views of employees into account; the vision is constantly confirmed by concrete actions on the part of management; this ensures alignment with the daily work schedule, goals and vision.

Vision and Mission

A vision is our idea of the future, which will come even if we are not there. Mission is our place in the future we see. Vision is where you want to be. It may be based on value in an economic sense, but it does not have to be. The specific goal is “we want to achieve a turnover of $1 million.” could become “we want to have the largest market share in our industry.” A vision differs from a mission in that it is focused both on the company itself, its employees, and on the outside world - its customers. The mission is almost always directed externally, to the company’s clients. But there are times when a company's mission and vision are stated in the same sentence. Thus, on the Sony Ericsson website, under the heading “Mission”, the vision is described: “Our vision is to become THE communication entertainment brand. We inspire people to do more than just communicate. We enable everyone to create and participate in entertainment experiences. Experiences that blur the lines between communication and entertainment. Our vision: to become a symbol of connection-entertainment. We inspire people to do more than just communicate. We empower everyone to create and experience entertainment. This experience blurs the lines between entertainment and communication."

Examples of vision

This is the preparation of an encyclopedic article on this topic. You can contribute to the development of the project by improving and expanding the text of the publication in accordance with the rules of the project. You can find the user manual

Shaping the vision

Prototyping

Prototyping is a key requirements elicitation strategy in most modern methodologies (see Lecture 10 for more details). The software prototype is a “mirror” in which one can see a reflection of how the Contractor understood the Customer’s requirements. The process of identifying requirements through prototyping is all the more intense the more distorted this mirror is. The documentary method of identifying requirements is always inferior to live communication. Analyzing what is done in the form of user interfaces gives even greater effect. The right hemisphere channel of perception is activated, which, as is known, works an order of magnitude more effectively for most people than the verbal channel.

The RAD method is one of the most famous ways to quickly create prototypes 1) .

RAD is based on the following basic principles:

Evolutionary prototyping;
CASE tools as the main tool, including the capabilities of forward and reverse engineering and automatic code generation;
Highly qualified specialists with good command of advanced tools;
Interactive JAD method, which combines communication with online development;
Strict time frames are an antidote to project “boundary creep”: if the team does not meet the deadline, the functionality is narrowed.

Work to establish the product vision and project boundaries usually begins at the earliest phase of the project, before large-scale consultations to identify detailed requirements, although in general the presence and sequence of these steps depends on the chosen methodology. In practice, these works are often combined. The requirements extraction rules discussed in Lecture 6 can also be used when creating a vision.

Analyzing the literature on the topic under consideration, we can identify the following widely used keywords: on the one hand - concept, vision, image, on the other - framework, boundaries, context.

In the first case, we are talking about a vision of what the system should be. High-level requirements (capabilities, properties) of the product and the most significant limitations are discussed. A number of authors, on the contrary, insist that vision should be “unlimited.”

The concept of vision is widely used in business analysis. If the company’s top management has an idea of what key goals, market segments, product positions, and profits should be achieved, say, in 5 years, then the company has a long-term vision of itself in the market. The method of removing restrictions when developing a vision allows you to develop a new view of things, “rise above the situation,” plan for the future, starting not from current resources and limitations, but from strategic goals, using innovation, know-how, etc.

This experience of forming a vision is largely transferable to the process of developing information systems: you need to “see” in the medium- and (or) long-term planning horizon how AIS will fit into the organizational processes of the enterprise, what key benefits it will provide, what problems it will resolve. When searching for new methods and means of enterprise management based on information technology, it is often necessary to “reshape” existing business processes; in essence, the implementation of AIS, which affects a significant percentage of the enterprise’s processes, inevitably leads to the restructuring of these processes in order to optimize the enterprise’s activities, achieve key efficiency factors, etc.

In the second case (framework, boundaries, context), issues such as the boundary of the system and the environment, the required resources to create the system, and timing are discussed. Having built an “unlimited vision,” sooner or later you have to return to such prosaic things as the budget, scheduling, personnel selection, and project milestones.

Is it always necessary to create a Concept document? Should vision and boundaries be separated?

Often the Customer realizes the need for automation as a way to solve accumulated problems. Having formulated a problem for himself, the Customer often sees a solution to it, with which he comes to the Contractor (“I need a website”, “I need a CRM system”, etc.). A qualified Contractor should not rush headlong to solve the problem as formulated by the Customer. According to the figurative expression of G. Kalyanov 1) automating processes “as is” is like paving the paths for cows to walk on.

There is an important metaphor in RUP notation: “Seeing the problem behind the problem.” The concept serves precisely to help the Customer identify exactly those system requirements that will help him optimize the operation of his enterprise in the long term.

Therefore, the stage of concept formation is important, but it places quite high demands on both the Customer and the Contractor: The Customer must allocate resources and be prepared for labor costs for a joint search for solutions; The contractor must have sufficient qualifications both in the field of IT and in the field of enterprise management so that the automation tool being developed is truly beneficial. All of the above does not in any way exclude the possibility of working without a concept: either we are talking about a small project, in the budget of which the concept development stage is simply unprofitable, or the Customer himself has sufficient qualifications to formulate the requirements for AIS, having a “concept in his head” and time for consultation Developer.

Some arguments for sharing vision and boundaries have been given above. In particular, the MSF process proposes to draw a clear boundary between these concepts. Ultimately, the question of “to separate or not to separate” is determined by the chosen methodology.

Let's consider the basic requirements for developing the concept laid down in domestic GOST, RUP and MSF methodologies.