- Objectives are statements of expectations or results that will be achieved during the programme. This means understanding what the project promises to accomplish and measure. Objectives must be ‘SMART’:
- Specific: identifies concrete events or actions that will take place
- Measurable: quantifies the amount of resources, activity, or change to be expended and achieved
- Appropriate: logically relates to the overall problem statement and desired effects of the program
- Realistic: provides a realistic dimension that can be achieved with the available resources and plans for implementation
- Time-bound: specifies a time within which the objective will be achieved (excerpt from Khan, 2011, pg. 16).
For examples of SMART objectives, see Module 4, pg. 24 in Vann, B. 2004. “Training Manual, Facilitator’s Guide: Multisectoral and Interagency Prevention and Response to Gender-based Violence in Populations Affected by Armed Conflict”. Arlington: Reproductive Health Response in Conflict Consortium, GBV Global Technical Support Project, JSI Research and Training Institute.
- The diagram below demonstrates how to write a SMART objective:
Source: Khan M. E. 2011. Monitoring and Evaluating of Sexual and Reproductive Health services: Key Considerations and Challenges. Population Council. Presented in SVRI Forum 2011, Cape Town, pg. 17.