v2mom - Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles and Measures

https://sliwinski.com/v2mom/
https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/modules/manage_the_sfdc_organizational_alignment_v2mom/units/msfw_oav2m_writing_a_v2mom

What is V2MOM?

V2MOM stands for Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles and Measures

The vision helped us define what we wanted to do.

• In 1-3 sentences, what do you want to accomplish? What impact will it have?
• Keep it simple and inspiring.

The values established what was most important about that vision; it set the principles and beliefs that guided it (in priority). 

• What 3 values are important as you pursue your vision? 
• Values guide everyday decisions and tradeoffs.

The methods illustrated how we would get the job done by outlining the actions and the steps that everyone needed to take. 

• What 4-8 things do you want to accomplish? 
• Which are most important to you? 
• Do they align with the Company V2MOM? 
• Do they align with your manager’s?

The obstacles identified the challenges, problems, and issues we would have to overcome to achieve our vision. 

• What is going to make accomplishing all of this diffcult?

The measures specified the actual result we aimed to achieve; often this was defined as a numerical outcome.

• For each Method, how will you know you’ve been successful? 
• Focus on the measurable outcomes versus activities. 
• Can be quantified or quantitative?

How to Write a V2MOM?
https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/modules/manage_the_sfdc_organizational_alignment_v2mom/units/msfw_oav2m_writing_a_v2mom

The Vision represents what you want to achieve or accomplish. It focuses on what’s most important to you. Writing a great Vision helps you paint a picture of what you want the future to look like.

“Global leadership in providing the software as a service model driven by an enthusiastic and wildly successful customer community, and energized by world-class employees.” Each year, we create a new Vision that boldly describes what we are trying to accomplish. And every function, team, manager and employee does the same.

What is your bold Vision for what you want to achieve this year?

When writing your Vision, think about:

• What you want to accomplish? (Keep it to 1-3 sentences)
• What impact will it have on your company, employees, customers, and community?
• How can make it inspiring, fun, and creative (it can and should be a reflection of you!)?

Values represent the principles or beliefs that are most important as you pursue your Vision. They guide everyday decisions and tradeoffs.

The very first V2MOM at Salesforce included Values like “world class organization,” “time to market,” and “usability.” Now, our business Values includes words like “trust,” “growth,” and “innovation.”

Which Values come to mind when thinking about the principles needed to achieve your Vision? When writing about your Values, consider:

• Which three Values are most important as you pursue your Vision?
• How can you describe those Values so that everyone is clear on what it means to live them?
• How will these Values guide your everyday decisions and tradeoffs?

Methods represent the actions you take to achieve your Vision.

For a company or team, methods are the steps to take to bring the vision to reality. For Salesforce, some of the initial Methods that Marc Benioff and his co-founders scrawled on the back of that envelope were to hire the team, rapidly develop the product, and build partnerships—all critical steps to achieve our initial Vision.

What are the specific actions that your company or team needs to take to achieve the Vision?

As you write out your Methods:

• Think carefully about what actions you need to take to achieve your Vision
• What 5–8 things do you want to accomplish?
• Do your Methods align to the corporate V2MOM? Your manager’s V2MOM?
• Prioritize the order of your Methods with the highest priority Method at the top
• Keep your writing simple and inspiring

Obstacles are things that block your progress, get in your way, or make it difficult to accomplish what you’ve outlined. Identifying Obstacles before you jump into your work helps you anticipate challenges and proactively consider how to overcome them.

What are the most pressing Obstacles you can think of that will get in the way of achieving your Vision? How might you overcome them? When writing your Obstacles, think about:

• What’s going to make accomplishing your vision and executing your Methods difficult?
• What do you need to be mindful of to overcome your Obstacles?
• What specifically can you do to overcome your Obstacles?

Measures tell you and others when you’ve achieved success or successfully completed your Methods. They focus on the measurable outcomes of your work, not your day-to-day activities. It’s really the ”brass tacks” of it all. A wise V2MOM sage once said, “If you’re not able to measure it, you probably don’t understand what you are trying to achieve.”

or each of your Measures, how can you clearly define success? When writing your Measures:

• Think about how you know when you’ve been successful.
• Focus on the measurable outcomes, for example “80% of managers rated as highly effective.”
• Make the measures SMART. Not sure what that means? Read on!

Writing SMART Measures

SMART is an acronym that helps you think through all the elements of establishing clear, actionable, and measurable Measures. When writing your V2MOM Measures, make sure they follow the SMART format.

	Specific - Clearly define your focus and what you’re going to do.
	Measurable - Quantify an indicator of progress, such as percentages, numbers, targets.
	Achievable - Set the bar high, yet make it achievable.
	Relevant - Ensure that the Measure supports the company’s and your manager’s V2MOM Measures.
	Timely - Set a specific and reasonable time frame for completion.

Want a little more clarity on what SMART looks like?

SMART Measures Look Like This	Not This
Achieve market share of 30% in the United States by the end of the fiscal year.	Dominate the U.S. market!
Be rated in the top 3 in Gartner’s Healthcare Magic Quadrant and Forrester’s Healthcare Wave by the end of the fiscal year.	Lead the market direction and shape the evolution of the Healthcare market.
Achieve a top 30 ranking on Fortune’s 2017 Best Companies to Work For list.	Be a Great Place to Work.

At Salesforce, we offer our employees two options for writing their Measures.

1. Progress Measures: Setting a target number or percentage, for example “Achieve a 75% open rate for customer email campaigns by the end of Q2.”
2. Completion Measures: Setting a goal of whether or not a particular activity is completed, such as “Launch a blog for internal communications by the end of Q4.”

Tips for Writing Your V2MOM

Do This	Which Looks Like This
Keep it short	Think CliffsNotes, not War and Peace. Make your statements focused. If your V2MOM is too long, it’s likely not focused.
Choose your words wisely	Words make a difference. For example, you can “empower” users through support or you can ”enable” users with tools.
List your priorities in order	Order your Values, Methods, and Measures in priority order to show their importance. When using your V2MOM to guide decisions, the priority is key.
Make it your own	Don’t copy and paste. No two V2MOMs should be the same. Every individual in the organization should have their own Vision and Goals.