Objective Work Plan (OWP)

Objective Work Plan (OWP) Guidance

A project cannot have more than three objectives per entire project period. An OWP must be completed for each objective for each budget period of the project year. In multi-year projects, some objectives may continue for multiple budget periods.

Once completed, an effective OWP will demonstrate logical connections between the different project elements so that it is clear how implementing activities will lead to achieving the objectives, and how achieving the objectives will accomplish the project goal and directly address the problem statement.

Each section of the OWP should be completed according to the following instructions:

1. Project Title: Identify the project title.

2. Project Goal: Identify the goal of the project. The goal should relate to the project’s problem statement.

3. Project Year: Identify the project year (e.g., 1, 2, or 3).

4. Objectives: A statement of the specific outcomes to be achieved within the project period, which directly contribute to the achievement of the project goal(s) and support the community's long-range goals. The objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Results-oriented, and Time-bound (SMART). Only three objectives per project period are allowed. Together, the objectives should address the project goal. The specific information provided for each objective is the standard upon which its achievement can be evaluated at the end of each budget year.

5. Problem Statement: Identify the problem statement included in the application.

6. Results and Benefits Expected: This section of the OWP is used to define the results to be produced and the benefits to be derived by the project and is used to track quarterly progress toward accomplishing each objective. Results should include any materials produced, deliverables, or other key outputs from project activities. Identify well-defined results which directly support the accomplishment of an objective and provide quarterly milestones. Benefits refer to the positive changes that are derived from achieving the project’s results, and should typically contribute to an improvement in people’s lives. Identify well-defined benefits which directly support the accomplishment of an objective and provide quarterly milestones.

7. Criteria for Results and Benefits Expected: The criteria for evaluating should identify how the applicant will monitor progress and measure completion of the results and benefits expected. The criteria should be verifiable and documented during the project.

8. Activities: For each objective, list activities that provide clear and logical steps to achieve the objective. The activities included may be significant activities (e.g., hiring staff), ongoing activities (e.g., monthly meetings with partners and stakeholders), and required actions (e.g., submission of ANA reports and attend ANA post-award training). Especially useful are activities which show progress or results on a quarterly basis.

9. Position Performing the Activity: Identify the lead position and other support performing each activity by identifying the title(s) of the salaried project staff person(s) as well as other support personnel.

10. Time Period: Identify realistic time periods to complete each activity. Use elapsed times from the start of the project (e.g. month 1, month 2, etc.) rather than absolute dates. September 30 is the start date for each budget period; thus, month 1 is September 30th to October 31st.

For electronic submission of your application, please review the guidance below on how to fill out the OWP on Grants.gov.

1. Fill out the SF-424 with the official title of your project which will then transfer to the Objective Work Plan “title” field. The “title” field is not editable as it pulls directly from the SF-424.

2. All open fields are required with the exception of the “other support” field. An error message will pop up for all other blank fields included in the form.

3. Use complete dates including the month/day/year (for example: 00/00/0000). There is a calendar option as well in which you can choose a date on the pop up option. If the applicant is inputting future years, the manual entry is usually the faster option for entering the beginning and end dates.

4. Please ensure that the begin date is before the end date. Please also ensure that the begin and end dates are not the same exact date.

5. Applicants should add only one activity at a time. If the applicant adds many activity fields without filling in the information, there will be multiple pop ups due to incomplete fields.

6. The Objective Work Plan should be organized by project year not objective. For example, if your project has 3 objectives for 3 years than you should organize your OWP listing all of year 1’s objectives then start on year 2, and complete the form with year 3’s objectives.

7. When you add a project year to the form, the objectives from the previous year will automatically pre-populate to the new project year added. Applicants will have the ability to edit and subtract these objectives and objective statements if they are not necessary for the final work plan. As a reminder, you can only have 3 objectives for the entire project period.