ABSTRACT
Many interventions fail not because they lack good ideas, but because of vague goals or
disagreement about goals. Defining goals and objectives is crucial to the rest of the plan-
ning process. It is amazing how many expensive and otherwise well-designed interven-
tions fail to define the desired outcomes of the intervention adequately. Without
specific, agreed-upon criteria for success, it is impossible to measure whether any inter-
vention works. It is also likely that without agreed-upon goals, program staff, directors,
and various stakeholders will frequently disagree on the mission of the program and
the type of intervention approach to use.
