Goals and Objectives

The terms goals and objectives are closely related, yet distinct. Although goals refer to the general aims or intended results of a program, objectives are the specific, measureable steps one takes to achieve a goal. Goals tend to be broad, intangible, and abstract; objectives are more precise, tangible, and concrete. This entry further defines goals and objectives and discusses how they relate to program development and evaluation.

Because accomplishing goals requires completing several intermediate steps, each goal is typically associated with several objectives. Well-specified goals and objectives are specific, measureable, achievable, relevant, and time bound (SMART). SMART goals and objectives are specific with regard to the desired outcome and population of interest, stipulate how the achievement of the objective will be measured, are achievable with the resources and capabilities of those attempting to accomplish them, are relevant to the larger vision and mission of the group, and specify the time frame within which they will be accomplished. For example, while the general goal of an educational program might be to improve the reading skills of third graders, a “SMART” version of the same goal might read: By 2020, 75% of third grade children will score proficient in reading as measured by the statewide standardized third-grade reading test.

[Page 740]Although the SMART version of the goal is clearer with regard to the intended outcome, method of measurement, and timing, it does not specify the concrete steps that would need to be taken to accomplish it, that is, the realm of objectives. Objectives related to this goal might include reviewing school district data to determine whether reading proficiency scores were lower among certain groups of students than among others, selecting or developing reading programs designed to improve reading skills among lower performing students and implementing reading programs. Each of these objectives could be further specified in SMART format.

Goals and objectives are essential elements of program theory and planning. Insofar as a program consists of an ongoing set of activities designed to accomplish some specific end, it is difficult to conceive of a program without considering its goals and objectives. Goals and objectives are also core elements of a program’s theory, which entails assumptions about the relationship between a program’s resources, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. These elements are often represented visually in the form of a program logic model.

Together, goals and objectives serve as essential building blocks for developing program plans, garnering and deploying resources, establishing accountability for results, and assessing outcomes. For research and evaluation purposes, program goals and objectives often serve as the starting points for identifying program outcomes and developing evaluation designs to measure program outcomes and impacts. The “SMARTer” the program goal or objective, the easier it is to make the translation from goal or objective to measureable outcome or impact.

Even when a program’s goals and objectives are written and clearly specified, it is often the case that program stakeholders hold different and sometimes competing understandings of a program’s goals and objectives. The frequency with which the evaluator Joseph S. Wholey encountered widespread disagreement among stakeholders on the goals of federal programs led him to develop an approach known as evaluability assessment, the primary purpose of which is to determine whether a program is ready for a full-scale evaluation. One essential precondition for the evaluability of a program is a reasonable level of agreement among a program’s stakeholders on the program’s goals.

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