SMART Objectives

Session Objectives Demonstrate how ACSM objectives link to NTP objectives. Describe SMART criteria for effective objectives. Apply criteria in writing actual objectives. Read objectives.

What is an OBJECTIVE? OBJECTIVES GOAL ACSM activities How the results of your short-term program activities contribute to the big goal. Several objectives can relate to the same goal. Remember that yesterday we said objectives are an important link between our ACSM activities and the broader TB control goal and objectives. Our short-term, specific activities do not seem very connected to the larger goal unless we have objectives to show the logic. The objective is the result of our short-term program activities, and contributes to the larger goal. In other words, the objective says what we will do and when. The activity is how we will do it and the goal is why we will do it. You can have several objectives for the same goal or several activities for the same objective. Later we will introduce the concept of a framework, which is a tool we can use to show this connection between ACSM and the larger TB control picture.

ACSM Objective Examples Aggressively advocate to increase NTP budget by 8% each year for the next four years. Double the percentage of secondary school students who can correctly identify TB symptoms by 2015. Partner with Red Cross nurses to pilot a treatment support program for newly released prisoners with TB by 2015. THIS SLIDE IS ANIMATED Here are some examples of ACSM objectives. CLICK to display examples. Partner with Red Cross nurses to pilot a treatment support program for newly released prisoners with TB by 2015.

Link to NTP Objectives ACSM objectives should always link (and thus contribute) to a specific NTP objective. Always address a key challenge and barrier that you know is happening. Watch your assumptions! We do not choose our ACSM objectives and activities because we “think” there is a problem or because it is something we like to do or fits our cause. Our ACSM objectives need to have a logical connection to a specific national TB control objective and address a key barrier to that TB control objective. Refer to Handout 2.1 TB Control Objectives and ACSM Objectives and review examples.

Clear, well-written objectives Effective Objectives Are SMART! Specific Measureable Attainable Relevant Time-bound Clear, well-written objectives make your M&E easier! All of our M&E planning is based on our objectives, so it is critical that we write them as clearly and specifically as possible. The better our objectives, the easier our M&E will be! There are five qualities that we want our objectives to have. These are called “SMART.” Read bullets.

Specific Single focus or result No overlap with other objectives What do I want to accomplish? With whom? Where? When? A specific objective will usually answer four "W" questions…

Measurable Can it be quantified or measured? How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished? How much change is expected? Can we actually attach a number to that change or observe something new? If it is not specific, you cannot measure it accurately.

Attainable Can we really do this? Is this achievable and easy to put into action? Considers limits such as resources, personnel, cost, and time frame. Do not set yourself up for failure! If you think an objective is out of reach, it probably needs a more narrow focus. How can you make the efforts smaller and more focused? Smaller target group or geographic area? Shorter time period? Smaller change?

Relevant Does this connect to the larger goal? Does this seem worthwhile? How important is this objective to our work? Does the objective relate to our NTP objectives? Does it address a priority gap?

Time-bound This is the objective’s “due date.” When do we expect the change to happen? Keeps activities on track and moving. Most of us perform better with a deadline. It is the same with our objectives.

How SMART Is This? Conduct World TB Day events to raise awareness of TB. Conduct two celebrity rallies on World TB Day 2014 to promote awareness of a national TB hotline and website. THIS SLIDE IS ANIMATED. CLICK to show the first example. Ask participants to evaluate the example for each of the S-M-A-R-T criteria. How could we rewrite this objective to make it more SMART? Solicit ideas. CLICK to show the second example. How SMART is this second version? There are times when it is very difficult to get an objective perfectly SMART. For example, you do not have baseline data, you are uncertain when the project will start, or it is a very hard subject to measure. In these cases, you do the best you can. Look at each criterion and see what you can add or improve to strengthen that criterion.

Common Mistakes Objectives are not SMART and therefore not measurable or meaningful. Focus too broad. Too many objectives. Barriers and objectives based on assumptions. Too much importance placed on awareness and knowledge and not enough on action. These are some common mistakes made with objectives. First, if objectives are not SMART, they are not measurable and therefore will not provide much substance to your outcomes. The next two are related. Often, programs try to accomplish too much (mostly because they see that the need is so great). They spread their resources too thinly across too many objectives. Therefore, their efforts seem to lack a clear focus. It is better to have just a few objectives and do them really well. But we must also be careful about the assumptions we make about barriers. If we think DOTS staff have stigmatizing attitudes toward TB clients, do we have any evidence that those attitudes really cause TB clients to end treatment early? Another common assumption is “lack of awareness” as a barrier to case detection. But what data do we really have about awareness and, more importantly, the link between awareness and getting screened for TB symptoms? Many ACSM programs seek to increase awareness because it makes sense to them based on anecdotes and assumptions. But maybe the real reasons are cost, fear, or something completely different. We should rely on data to correctly identify and prioritize barriers and hence our ACSM objectives.

Objectives Are ACTION! Increase Collect Decrease Launch Create Build Streamline Change Recruit Reduce Train Acquire Develop Distribute Facilitate Produce Design Invite THIS SLIDE IS ANIMATED. A properly stated objective is action oriented, often beginning with an action verb. CLICK to display the lists. Read a few words out loud as they appear.

Writing Objectives Verb What For/ With Whom How Many How Much By Increase Decrease Strengthen Prevent Reduce Improve Develop Knowledge Attitudes Skills Behavior Condition Population Participants Client Individual Family Providers Leaders Community From: Baseline To: Target By: ____________ Actual # Due date Example:   % of DOTS referrals From primary caregivers From 5% to 20% By 2014 The easiest way to write an objective is to break it into parts. Describe each component and read the example.

Let’s Practice Some Writing! Let’s now try to write some objectives ourselves.