About create an objective:

{Please review this guide carefully as the objectives are the heart of the Strategic Planner and its valuable to ‘get ‘em right’ to begin with.}

The first step in creating an immediate planning objective is to craft a title. The best titles are short and pithy yet directly suggest the substance of the objective so that folks unfamiliar with operations in the unit can still have some idea what it is about. Short titles are best: 3-4 words is ideal.

Once titled, a full definition is fashioned in which the nature and purpose of the objective is more fully fleshed out to inform SSU’s stakeholders of its intent. In fully defining the objective, prepare a logic for measuring how the unit can document the degree to which and effectiveness with which the objective has been attained. An old saying in planning circles is “if it can’t be measured it can’t be managed;” a corollary saying is “if it can’t be managed, it’s a risky undertaking.”

Both entries are be made in the Strategic Planner under the “create objective” window. The software limits the description length to no more than 500 characters and indicates how many characters have been used as the description is entered.

Immediate planning objectives are not vague, generalized intents that by design have neither conclusion nor can be measured. Rather, they are specific undertakings that move the organization to a more effective level of operation; they are the building blocks of an enhanced organization. And since they are specific undertakings, it also is possible to design some way to measure the degree to which the objective is accomplished at any point in time and with what level of effectiveness.

Often, in fact, a poorly worded planning objective may be instead a well-worded longer-term general planning goal. The usual mistake in preparing objective statements is not in the intention but rather in the structure of the strategic plan description of the undertaking. Attend to the relationship between objectives and goals. A convenient rubric: if it’s general and not measurable, it may be a long-term goal; if it’s specific and measurable, it may be an immediate planning objective.

As is demonstrated among the hypothetical examples in the table below, a single long range planning goal may have a number of different planning objectives designed leading towards the more general goal. Similarly, a well-designed immediate planning objective can easily serve several different planning goals.

Hypothetical examples follow:

Well-designed planning objectives: Reasonable long-term planning goals:

Increase likelihood of meaningful contact between students and academic advisors/mentors.	Deepen students’ collegiate experience.
Enable campus-wide event and appointment calendaring/scheduling with an appropriate application tool.	Improve campus computer services.
Reduce turn around time between placing requisitions and receiving goods and services from vendors.	Improve the procurement service.
Schedule washing windows in each building once per year.	Improve campus maintenance.
Insure that paper communication between organizational units arrive at destination building within 4 business hours.	Make internal communication more effective.
Reduce expensive emergency electrical service calls by establishing a cycle of regular preventative maintenance for campus lighting.	Improve campus maintenance.
Use student focus groups to identify immediate planning objectives addressing issues of primary concern to students.	Deepen students’ collegiate experience.
Use student focus groups to identify immediate planning objectives addressing issues of primary concern to students	Improve campus maintenance.
Build opportunities for student leadership experience into each curriculum track or major program.	Deepen students’ collegiate experience.
Develop a blue-ribbon fund for supplying merit scholarships to students with demonstrated financial need.	Provide greater financial aid for students.
Speed internet access time (upload and download) at SSU until it lies comfortably in the top 10% of USG institutions.	Improve computer services.
Fill staff reimbursement claims for authorized professional development travel within 48 hours of submission.	Support staff development.