CHAPTER 8

Action Planning

KINDS OF OBJECTIVES

Impact Objectives Service Objectives Operational Objectives Product Objectives

FORMATTING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES EX: Goal: To improve foster care services Impact Objective: To decrease the number of

children waiting each month for a foster home from an average of 150 to 170 to an average of 100 to 120

Service Objective: To conduct a recruitment campaign that will increase the pool of prospective foster parents from 10 to 60

Operational Objective: To conduct three in-house training programs on fos ter care within a three-month period

Product Objective: To produce a documentary film on the need for fos ter care

CAUTIONS ABOUT OBJECTIVES Not all objectives lend themselves to quantifiable

measurement Objectives may conflict with each other Be wary that organizational units may tend to set objectives

for their own benefit rather than for the benefit the organization as a whole

The setting of objectives requires everyone in the organization to be responsible for their work

Be mindful of engaging in an objective setting process that has integrity and realism

Be aware that some organizations use goals and objectives as if they were interchangeable; they are not—the former is general and ideal, the latter, specific and concrete

Objectives should be designed to stretch, but not break, staff

SUMMARY All organizations must establish objectives

They can then demonstrate to themselves and to their funders that they are achieving results as a result of the community’s investment.

By setting objectives in advance of the expenditure of staff and financial resources, an agency has a yardstick against which it can later measure outcomes.

Objectives are a tool that all organizations must apply.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 1) In your agency what are the examples

of the following? risk population target population impact population

2) What examples can you give in each of the following categories?

goal statement impact objectives service objectives product objectives operational objectives