“Developing Objectives &
Indicators for Strategic
Planning”
The National
Development
Plan, Iraq
6 July 2010
Khaled Ehsan and Helen Olafsdottir
UNDP Iraq Programme
PURPOSE OF THE SESSION
By the end of this session we would like you
to have clarity on:
• General ideas on the relationship between
goals, objectives and indicators for effective
results management
• Concrete set of actions to translate higher level
strategic objectives into objective statements
that have measurable indicators
GOALS
INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVES
(SMART) OBJECTIVES
INDICATORS
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Goals are high level statements usually aligned
to national priorities that provide overall
context for what an intervention is trying to
achieve.
Objectives are lower level statements that
describe the specific, tangible products and
deliverables that an intervention will deliver.
NDP GOALS
1. ENHANCE GROWTH OF THE IRAQI ECONOMY
2. IMPLEMENT INSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL REFORMS TO
SUPPORT NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
3. ENHANCE SOCIAL PROTECTION AND AVAILABILITY OF
BASIC SERVICES
4. COMMITMENT OF SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
5. ENHANCE RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
NDP INTERMEDIATE GOVERNANCE
OBJECTIVES
1. PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND ANTICORRUPTION
2. ENFORCE THE RULE OF LAW
3. PROMOTE SOCIAL INCLUSION STRATEGIES
4. IMPLEMENT DECENTRALIZATION AND SUPPORT LOCAL
GOVERNANCE
“SMART” CRITERIA
SMART OBJECTIVES & INDICATORS ARE USED FOR GATHERING INFORMATION
ON VERIFICATION AND PLANNING
DEFINITION
SPECIFIC : REFLECT WHAT A PROJECT INTENDS TO CHANGE
MEASURABLE: MUST BE PRECISELY DEFINED WITH OBJECTIVE DATA,
INDEPENDENT OF WHO IS COLLECTING DATA, AND COMPARABLE ACROSS
PROJECTS ALLOWING CHANGES TO BE COMPARED
ATTAINABLE: ACHIEVABLE BY THE PROJECT AND SENSITIVE TO CHANGE
RELEVANT: FEASIBLE TIME AND MONEY TO COLLECT DATA USING CHOSEN
INDICATORS AND RELATIONSHIP TO THE STRATEGIC GOALS AND HIGHER LEVEL
OBJECTIVES
TIME BOUND: DESCRIBES WHEN A CERTAIN CHANGE IS EXPECTED
EXAMPLES OF “SMART” OBJECTIVES
1. Reform legal and regulatory framework to ensure onethird of judges and courts in Iraq are adequately
resourced to perform their duties effectively and held
accountable to high standards of professional and
ethical conduct.
2. Ensure the poor households in x region have better
access to capital and other financial services.
3. Reduce the level of domestic violence against women in
x region.
INDICATORS
• “Indicators describe the way to track intended results and are
critical for monitoring and evaluation.”
• “ A quantitative or qualitative variable that allows the verification
of changes produced by a development intervention relative to
what was planned”
Types of indicators
Factual indicators
 Factual (yes/no)
 Existence (yes/no)
 Classes (x/y/z)
Policy recommendation submitted
Constitution passed by Parliament
Chamber of Commerce established
 Existence of free electronic media: free, partly free, not
free
Numeric indicators
 Number
No. of government officials trained
No. of regional networks on aid effectiveness created
No. of regional CSOs attending regional conference on
human rights
 Percentage
% of government budget devoted to social sectors
% of population with access to basic health care
 Ratio
Ratio of female to male school enrolment
Ratio of doctors per 1.000 people
INDICATORS
Examples: Objectives and Indicators

Legal and regulatory framework reformed to a. # and proportion of the population with access to the
Internet, disaggregated by gender
provide people with better access to
b. % of population with computers and telephones
information and communication
c. Extent to which key policies on information
technologies.
technology are revised and promulgated

Reduced levels of corruption in the public
sector

Reduction in level of violence against women (1) % of women who feel that violence against women has
reduced in past 5 years; (2) % of men who believe
wife beating is justified for at least 1 reason
Corruption perception index (usually measured by a
composite survey indicator of the perceptions of
national/international experts and the general population
about corruption in the country)
Strategic
Planning
Performance
Measurement
Performance Management
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
1. Identifying clear and measurable objectives
2. Selecting indicators
3. Setting explicit targets
4. Developing performance monitoring systems
5. Reviewing, analyzing and reporting actual
results vis-à-vis targets
6. Using evaluation findings to generate lessons and
increase the understanding of strengths,
weaknesses and comparative advantages
7. Using performance information for management
accountability, learning, resource allocation
decisions including human resources
management, and reporting to stakeholders and
partners
THANK YOU