Goal Tracking That Works: A No-Fluff Measurement System for Real Progress

Peter Drucker famously said, “You can’t improve what you can’t measure” and, to determine whether we’re making progress on our goals, we need a clear system of measurement.

In our 10-part series on goal setting, we’re doing a deep dive into the art of defining goals and developing a master plan of actions to achieve them.

There are three stages in goal setting:

1. Defining the goal: What is it? What is it not?
2. Developing a plan: What’s on the road map that gets us from Point A to Point B?
3. Executing the plan: This is often the hardest part of achieving goals, and it comes down to diligence and tenacity.

Our previous article in the series touched on prioritizing your goals. Today we’re covering how to measure success on the way to reaching those goals.

How to Measure the Achievement of Goals

Without measurement, progress becomes guesswork, and you may be holding yourself back without realizing it. Here are the essentials to include in a strong goal-tracking system.

Resources

Before putting your systems of measurement in place, it helps to take a step back and look at what you actually have to work with. Every goal takes resources—and the tools, tech, and data you have access to can make a huge difference in how quickly you get results.

And don’t forget: resources aren’t just software and spreadsheets. People count too. The right mentor, coach, or support person can be a total game-changer.

Time

Time is your most limited resource, so how you use it really matters. That’s why it helps to break your goals into smaller milestones along the way, so you’re not just hoping things are working, you’re actually checking.

Those milestones should be built into whatever system you’re using to measure progress. That way, you know exactly when to pause, look at the results, and make sure you’re still moving in the right direction.

And everyone involved should be clear on the check-in rhythm—whether that’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly—and what “good progress” looks like at each point. If you’re consistently falling behind a milestone, it’s not a failure—it’s feedback. It might mean the timeline needs adjusting, the strategy needs a shift, or you need more support/resources to make the goal realistic.

Impact

Whenever you can, try to measure your goal with quantitative data. It’s one of the easiest ways to stay motivated—because when you can see progress, you’re more likely to keep going. The truth is, the bigger the impact you notice, the more exciting the goal becomes. And if your goal doesn’t feel inspiring anymore, that’s a sign it might need a quick tweak or a clearer “why.”

Moreover, an appropriate system of measurement can provide you with information about your resources. Success isn’t something you stumble into—it’s something you keep in your line of sight while you’re working. Measurement is what tells you, “Yep, this is working,” or “Nope, we need to adjust.”

And finally, tracking your goals creates accountability. When you’re measuring consistently, it’s easier to stay honest about what’s getting done, what’s slipping, and what needs support to get back on track.

Steps to Measuring Your Progress Toward a Goal

Now it’s time to design your systems of measurement for your goal. This happens in three steps:

1. Choose the Method

There are two measurement methods: quantitative and qualitative. Deciding which method to use can be tricky and depends on the type of goal you want to achieve.

• A quantitative measurement should be used for goals that can easily be measured numerically, such as time.
• A qualitative measurement can be used for goals that are more difficult to measure numerically, such as teamwork.

When working towards goals, quantitative measurements make it much easier to see exactly how much progress you’ve made.

If you find that your goal revolves around qualitative data, however, then you can easily create a ranking system to turn it into quantitative data.

For example, if your goal is to feel more confident about leading meetings, then you can score your feelings on a scale of 1-10 for how confident you felt. Your score will impact how much preparation or coaching you need to make progress toward your goal.

With all this in mind, we can easily see why the SMART goal format is so effective; you never have to doubt where you’re at while working towards a goal.

2. Choose the Measurement

Now decide what system (distance, weight, etc.) and units (miles, pounds, etc.) will be the best metric for quantifying or qualifying your progress.

• If the goal is quantitative, you can choose something like time as the system and minutes as the unit of measurement.
• If the goal is qualitative, you can choose a scale as the system and something like 1-10 for the measurement unit.

3. Choose the Frequency

Lastly, determine how often you’ll check in on the progress you’re making on your goal. You may feel that it’s more effective to provide measurements towards the goals you try to hit each week (for example: lose one pound each week). Just be sure you give yourself room to adjust based on the data you receive at your check-ins.

Although it’s incredibly simple, deciding how you’re going to measure your goal significantly increases your chances of achieving it. When you can measure your progress and adjust for improvement, you’ll never be wondering where you are on your road to success.

The Bottom Line

When you take the time to measure your progress, you give yourself a real advantage: you can see what’s working, catch what isn’t, and make smart adjustments to keep you focused and on track.

Seeking a more hands-on approach to goal-setting? Learn this process directly from Arootah’s CEO and founder Rich Bello by downloading Bello’s free playbook, The 10 Step Arootah Success Formula. It’s a simple, straightforward process designed to support you in systematically achieving your goals.