• 3.5: Goals and Objectives

    Before writing this section, you should understand the difference between goals and objectives.

    Goals reflect the overarching mission the project aims to accomplish. They are conceptual and abstract and provide a view of the project's end result. An example of a goal might be to improve outcomes for students enrolled in developmental education classes.

    Objectives are tangible, concrete, specific, realistic, measurable, achievable, and have a time dimension. An example of an objective might be "By Spring 2006, the percentage of students who complete Math 101 with a grade of C or higher will increase from 42 percent to 48 percent."

    How you develop and communicate your project's goals and objectives depends on the funder's requirements. These guidelines can help you keep this section simple.

    • List only one or two goals per project.
    • List three to five objectives per goal. Remember that your project must be realistic. If your project is overly ambitious, the funder will be concerned that you cannot meet your goals and will probably not support your project.
    • Keep your evaluation section in mind when you write your objectives.
    • Use action verbs when you write goals and objectives. For example, some good descriptive verbs include provide, increase, change, determine, plan, coordinate, promote, decrease, and enable.
    • Objectives, Outputs, and Outcomes Page

      Read this short article, which succinctly differentiates between objectives, outputs, and outcomes.

    • Implementation Objectives vs. Outcome Objectives Page

      Read this short article to see the difference between implementation and outcome objectives.

    • Aims vs. Objectives Page

      Read this article for its distinction between aims and objectives. It also provides useful advice on "what not to do" with aims and objectives.

    • SMARTER Is Better than SMART Page

      Using the SMARTER management framework to write your objectives is a good rule of thumb. Ensure your project's objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound, evaluated, and recognized.

      Read this article which was written to help managers prepare to implement a company-wide strategy. Its guiding principles also apply to writing a grant proposal.