Comments to: crs@uvm.eduReviewed as of 4/20/98
THIS DOCUMENT WAS PRODUCED BY THE NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM. IT IS POSTED BY THE CENTER FOR RURAL STUDIES FOR PUBLIC
USE. THE CENTER FOR RURAL STUDIES ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THE CONTENTS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO THE USERS GUIDE.
A GLOSSARY OF PLANNING TERMS
ENDS--what you hope to accomplish (synonym: purposes)
PURPOSE--(1) what you hope to accomplish--the sum total of your
visions, goals, and objectives; (2) the single broad, overall
outcome you are seeking, as in your organizational statement of
purpose.
GOALS--a set of specific outcomes you desire; it's best that they
be achievable, and stated in such a way that everyone will agree
whether or not you've achieved them.
Long-term goals--usually, goals you don't expect to achieve in
less than a year, or perhaps even five years.
Short-term goals--goals for the coming year or so; goals for
your current projects and programs. Sometimes the short-term
goals become steps toward the long-term goals.
Broad and specific goals--because one goal may be a means to
another, it is common to arrange goals in a hierarchy of broad
and specific.
OBJECTIVES--statements of purpose that are more detailed and
specific than goals. Ideally, they will include a clear indication
of how it will be decided that the detailed purpose has been
achieved.
External objectives--objectives having to do with the impact
in the outside world that a person or group hopes to have.
Internal objectives--objectives having to do with the process
by which the purposes (including the external objectives) are
carried out, such as gathering resources, training members in
the needed skills, holding meetings, etc. (Some people always
mean external objectives when they say objectives, and use a
different word, such as milestones, for the internal
objectives.)
Learning objectives--what a learner will be able to do as a
result of an educational activity (lecture, reading
assignment, workshop, conference, etc.). For a teacher, most
of the external objectives are learning objectives. In a
citizen group, there may be learning objectives among the
internal objectives, as part of the process for achieving
changes in the outside world.
MEANS--the way you plan to do it (synonym: methods)
METHODS--the procedures by which you hope to achieve your purposes.
STRATEGIES--the particular methods you select to achieve your
purposes, as in "the best strategy."
RATIONALE--the reason you think your strategy makes sense; an
explanation of why your strategy will lead to accomplishment of
your objectives and goals, and therefore work toward your overall
purpose.
ACTIVITIES--portions of the overall method or strategy.
TASKS--even more specific portions of work. For example, in order
to carry out a planned activity (a fund-raising tag sale), there
are a lot of tasks we'll have to do.
TIMELINE--a sequence of tasks, activities, and sometimes objectives
against a grid of dates.
PERT CHART--a particular type of timeline that shows the
relationship between different tasks. (PERT stands for Program
Evaluation and Review Technique, a systematic approach to planning,
managing, and evaluating programs.)
MILESTONES--clearly identifiable steps in the process; usually in
relation to internal objectives, but possibly in relation to
external objectives. (Synonym: internal objectives.)
TARGETS--milestones, with specific dates set for their
accomplishment.
DEADLINES--the date by which an activity or task should be
completed, or a milestone or target reached.
ACCOUNTABILITY--the set of procedures by which the performance of
tasks and the achievement of targets and objectives is monitored.
SOURCE: Citizen Involvement Training Project, University of
Massachusetts, Amherst.
Comments to: crs@uvm.edu
Reviewed as of 4/20/98