The result is a self-improving system which provides regular feedback to the unit about its performance. The underlying systems model Each of the three phases also draws upon a systems model of how a unit or project operates. Resources are consumed by activities which produce intended and unintended immediate effects in the pursuit of goals and objectives, which in turn are intended to contribute to some vision of a better world. Immediate effects are those outcomes which occur as a result of the activities, usually during or immediately after those activities. They include those immediate outcomes which are intended, and those which are not.
Objectives are the goals, usually pre-set, which unit members pursue over intermediate time frames.
They are usually developed through a planning process, explicitly or implicitly. They are usually set or revised each planning cycle. Thus their timeframe is typically a year, though sometimes more or less than this. A somewhat more detailed description of the process now follows. Before the actual evaluation begins there are some crucial preparatory tasks to be done.