Goal hierarchies

Goals can be formulated on various levels of abstraction (cf. Beywl & Schepp-Winter, 1999):

• Policy goals are on the highest level of abstraction. They are not very concrete but remain constant over time and set the basic direction of the program or project.
• Mediator goals specify components of the policy goal and clarify why the pursuit of certain activity goals is reasonable to achieve the policy goal.
• Functional goals make a direct contribution to the implementation of a mediator goal and an indirect contribution to the achievement of the policy goal. They serve as a guide on a practical level and their formulation leaves little scope for variation, by contrast to the higher-level classes of goals.

Particularly in complex, large-scale projects, the broadly conceived, long-term policy goals should be clear. In order to implement them, these visions should be specified in terms  of mediator goals and (specifically for each project) functional goals. An example of a goal hierarchy can be found here: Goal hierarchy Fonds filep (doc, 118 kB, in German).

Important: In program evaluation, goal hierarchies also have the function of combining project goals (mediator goals) with program goals (policy goals). In this way, it becomes clear how the individual projects contribute to the overall program, and which projects pursue which goals within a program. The results of individual project evaluations can also be aggregated according to the higher-level goals.

Please check whether …

• there is a logical and comprehensible “chain”  from the functional goals to the policy goals. It should be clear how a lower-level goal leads to a higher-level goal.
• some goals are possibly in conflict.
  
• the functional goals have been formulated to be as „smart“ as possible. They should be specific, measurable, appropriate, realistic and time-framed. Click on the link for further information and examples!

Weighting of goals

In order to make the priorities clear and to sharpen the profile of the program, the policy goals and / or the mediator goals can be weighted (by the members of the program management or by the project staff or other stakeholders in participative programs): Weighting questionnaire (doc, 64 kB, in German).

Source and background information: In “Goal Identification and Clarification – a Guide” [in German; "Zielfindung und Zielklärung - ein Leitfaden" (Beywl & Schepp-Winter, 1999)] the design of goal hierarchies is described in detail (see Chapter 4: The Tertiary Goal System [in German; "Kapitel 4: Das dreigegliederte Zielsystem"]). http://www.univation.org/download/QS_21.pdf (814 kB; external)