Initiatives are typically framed as named programs, projects, or implementations, and they commonly start with nouns (e.g., “CRM implementation,” “Customer feedback system rollout,” “Lean redesign program,” “Training program”). This naming convention distinguishes initiatives from objectives, which usually start with action verbs (Increase/Improve/Reduce). While initiatives do involve actions, they are often referred to as “the thing” being executed (a project), hence noun-led phrasing. This helps keep a clean separation in a performance management system: objectives define what results you want, KPIs define how you measure results, and initiatives define what work you will do to change results. A frequent pitfall is writing initiatives as objectives (e.g., “Improve onboarding”), which blurs whether it’s a desired result or a project. Another pitfall is writing initiatives as KPIs (“Implement CRM by date”) and then treating a milestone as ongoing performance. Clear language conventions make cascading and reporting cleaner and support governance: projects are tracked via milestones and delivery KPIs, while business outcomes are tracked via performance KPIs.