| Mission Statement |
The mission statement should be a clear and succinct
representation of the unit’s purpose for existence. It must
be congruent with the university and the appropriate divisional
mission statements.
Most importantly, the mission statement is the foundation upon which
the unit will examine itself, allocate its resources, and plan its
future. One can not overemphasize the importance of a clear mission;
none of the subsequent components of this process will make sense
if the unit is not certain what its function is within the context
of the larger university. |
| Goals |
Goals are the aims that derive from the unit’s mission and
which it must achieve in order to fulfill its purpose. Units should
specify how their goals contribute to the attainment of the goals
of the division of which they are a part. Characteristically, goals are written as ideals or possessions that the unit will be or have. |
| Actions |
Actions describe how a unit is going to achieve its goals and
attain its mission. Each goal might require multiple actions. Where
appropriate, actions should be prioritized. Actions should result
in identifiable outcomes to be assessed. Characteristically, actions are promises of future products or behaviors --that is, making or doing-- and should be written by using action verbs in the future tense. Units
should outline a
timetable for creating the product or carrying out the behavior. |
| Outcomes or Results |
Outcomes are the results of actions. They may take qualitative
or quantitative form. Ideally, outcomes or results are written at the end of the year and describe what happened as a consequence of actually doing the actions. What products were produced and what behaviors occurred? Because outcomes are results, they are characteristically written in the past tense. |
| Evaluation or Discussion |
An evaluation is a discussion about the outcome(s) relative to
expectations or prior results. Characteristically, evaluations are reflective in nature. They weigh, interpret, and make judgments about the results. If expectations were met or exceeded, the evaluation states so. If they were not, the evaluation offers explanations and interpretations about why not. |
| Continuous Improvement |
Continuous improvement implies Next Steps (caps intentional). What modifications of actions (products, behaviors) are planned in order
to improve the results or to better align the function of the
unit with the mission of the University? Which actions will continue and which will be changed or stopped? What new experiments are anticipated? |
