Mission and Vision

• • Mission Statement

  • Vision Statement

Mission Statement

The mission statement of a company is a declaration of what they do every day. It defines the day-to-day activities of the work they do, and every person who works for the organization contributes to that mission. Think of it like the person who sets daily or weekly goals for him or herself to accomplish. It describes to employees and customers what is being done right now. It is present focused and can change very quickly depending on the circumstances of the business' market.

For a company's employees, it gives workers a sense of purpose about the value of their work. It is a broad statement that describes the cohesiveness of an organization, even if they do multiple and varied types of work in their individual departments. Many times Mission statements often start with statements such as, "We provide…" or "We offer…" or "We are a…" The mission statements establish a framework for the behavior of those working in the company. Performance standards can be based off a company's mission statement. This can guide decision making for employees at various levels of the company.

Vision Statement

A vision statement is a clear, definitive statement of what you want to accomplish, and what the world will look like once you've accomplished your mission. It's the perfect scenario that you're working towards accomplishing. Also, knowing what is important in the community you are working in is oftentimes extremely important in crafting a vision statement. Unlike the mission statement, it is future oriented. It provides a sense of what the company values to those both inside and outside the company. At times, some companies will use their vision statement for public relations purposes.

Since a vision statement is used to direct overall strategic goals for a company, they tend not to change very often. Each goal is another step on the path toward achieving the overall vision of the company. Vision statements are written in the present tense but still serve the future of the enterprise. When a vision statement can be read in the present tense and be accurate, an organization will know that their vision is being achieved. For example, a vision statement for a nonprofit who works to eliminate homelessness may read, "All children will live in safe, affordable housing." Therefore, making sure children are in safe, appropriate housing is the overall strategic goal of that non-profit.

A lack of vision is like driving down a road without a map. You may be moving forward but you have no idea of your actual destination. A good vision statement will create that much needed direction and why it is important.

The Difference Between Vision And Mission

The primary difference between a vision and mission statement is the timeline. Although there can be overlap between the two. In general, a mission statement defines what an organization is currently doing, while a vision statement is basically the ultimate goal of what they'd like to accomplish. The mission is what people do in order to achieve the vision. It is the how (mission) versus the why (vision).

The mission statement can also be used as a cohesive management tool. It is mutable and changes when circumstances or needs of the company change. Employees' duties, actions, and behaviors should all fall under the mission of the organization. Because the vision statement is a goal that may or may not be fairly elusive, it's not an effective way to direct individual employee behavior and expectations in regards to day to day activities - but it does give an employee an idea of what the organization hopes to accomplish as a team. The vision is always forward thinking and because of this, it cannot be used for daily operations of a company.

At times, different language is used by companies to describe vision and mission statements based on the type of organization. For instance, in the non-profit sector, organizations will often use the term action plans instead of mission statement. The term core values is sometimes used instead of vision statement as well. No matter what term is used though, it is meant to describe overall goals (mission) and broad strategy (vision).

Complete and bring to class on scheduled due dates. You may print your work in our classroom prior to coming to class. Assignments can be submitted early, but late assignments will not be graded. Early or on time submissions may be returned for corrections in order to receive points, meet minimal requirements, or to improve your grade. Late assignments can be submitted for correction and to complete modules. Consideration for grade is given to those who complete all assignments.

All activities can be found above or in the Vocab document in the Resource section.

Using any one or combination of the fillable Persona Charts (Resources), choose one from each of the three rows to complete this assignment. For example, you could choose Victoria Secret, K's Bento, and Spotify.

For one of your selections, create two different personas for the company. You will have a total of four completed personas for this assignment (eg. Row 1, Row 2, Row 3, Row 3).

• • https://uxplanet.org/creating-free-sketch-templates-user-personas-journey-maps-541df39d3f1b