The fact sheet on job objectives notes that the goal of those objectives is to communicate individual, team and organizational responsibilities and contributions and the related outcomes expected from the employee, linked to the mission and goals of the organization. Job objectives should “capture the large buckets of an employee’s work” and not the small daily tasks of the job.
Typically it is best to assign three to five objectives, which will be weighted. For managers and supervisors, one of the objectives must directly address their managerial role, which must include elements including communicating performance expectations, making meaningful distinctions of performance of subordinates, fostering and rewarding excellent performance, addressing poor performance, ensuring that employees are assigned a rating of record when required, and adhering to laws and rules governing merit principles, prohibited personnel practices and equal employment opportunity. Objectives must be specific, measurable, aligned to goals, realistic, relevant and timed, it said.
The fact sheet on self assessments notes that employees under NSPS are encouraged to assess their performance and contributions during the rating cycle in narrative form, in order to provide the supervisor with a clear picture of the employee’s perception of his or her own performance and contributions.
Employees are encouraged to keep records of their significant activities, although they are not expected to document everything they accomplish. In writing the assessments, employees are encouraged to show that they understood performance expectations, highlight their most significant achievements, make a connection between what was done and why it matters to the organization, cite instances where their behavior made a positive difference in the outcome of a job objective, and note the challenges they faced and how they responded.
The fact sheets are available under “Resources” at http://www.cpms.osd.mil/nsps
