Plans of Achievement (POAs): What is a POA Goal and How to Write a Goal Statement

POA stands for “Plan of Achievement”. POAs are measurable objectives written each year by Unit Leaders that reflect the way their office will support one or more of the college’s Strategic Priorities (SP) and Core Objectives (COs). The supervising Vice President/Divisional Leader will then consider these goals and decide which one(s) they will monitor in the “official” Divisional Plan of Achievement to be submitted to the President.

The process of identifying departmental/unit goals that are aligned with the College’s Vision, Mission, and Strategic Priorities is key to ensuring the college is working in a cohesive manner to achieve success. Tri-Annual reporting on the progress of these goals informs progress being made in achieving the College Strategic Priority Outcomes, thus providing necessary evidence for compliance reporting.

Plan of Achievement (POA) Overview

The person who enters the POA Goal into the GCCPlanning tool is considered the “POA Owner” within GCCPlanning and is the only person who can edit/maintain that POA. If the POA Owner is not the Unit Leader, they would receive content guidance from the Unit Leader.

If POA Ownership must change, GCCPlanning Administrators can assist by sending an email to GCCPlanning@genesee.edu.

Tri-Annual Progress Updates on POA Goals are required to be submitted by the “POA Owner” at least three times per year: November, February, and June. 

Progress Update entries should be a brief summary statement (1-2 text paragraphs, limited to 1,000 characters).  Any tables, images, complex data or supplemental data must be attached using the File Upload option for each progress entry.

The unit’s Progress Updates are reviewed and compiled by the Unit Division Leader into a Tri-Annual Report which is then submitted to the President.

By August 1^st, (or upon completion of the goal) the POA Owner is required to submit an Annual Summary Statement for the President’s Strategic Plan “Year in Review” Report which is submitted to SUNY. 

Annual Summary Statement entries should be a brief summary statement (1-2 text paragraphs, limited to 1,000 characters). Any tables, images, complex data or supplemental data must be attached using the File Upload option found at the end of the POA Goals form.

Prior President’s “Year in Review” Reports can be found on myGCC by visiting the Planning tab on myGCC Institutional Effectiveness.

Determining your POAs

Step 1: Review Strategic Priorities (SPs) and Core Objectives (COs)

1. Begin by reviewing each of the Strategic Priorities (SPs) and Core Objectives (COs). 
   1. See GCC’s webpage Strategic Planning 2023 - 2028 - Genesee Community College for information on the college’s Strategic Plan, Mission, Vision, Values, Strategic Priorities (SPs), and Core Objectives (COs).
   2. For your convenience, Strategic Plan 2023-2028’s SPs and COs are included in Appendix 2.
2. Note – You are not expected to affect all of the Strategic Priority Outcomes!
3. For each Strategic Priority ask yourself the following question:
   1. In the year ahead, will my Unit engage in SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES that will AFFECT the ability of the College to fulfill this Strategic Outcome and achieve the impact stated in one or more of its corresponding Core Objectives?
4. If no, skip to the next outcome and repeat the question.
5. Continue moving through each SP and asking yourself the question above until you find one or more to which your answer is “Yes”.
6. If yes, list the planned ACTIVITIES that you believe will help the College to fulfill this SP.
7. Continue this process until you have reviewed all of the Strategic Priority Outcomes. 
8. You will probably wind up with several Action Plans depending on the number of Strategic Priority Outcomes that will be directly affected by significant activities planned in your area.
9. Once you have listed all of your planned significant activities, narrow your list to those that seem MOST important in helping the College to fulfill the related Strategic Priority Outcomes/Core Objectives.
10. For each activity/group of activities, think about what will happen (Impact!) as a result of carrying out those activities.
11. Once you know the impact you expect to see as a result of carrying out your activity, you are ready to write the POA Goal Statement you will enter into your Plan of Achievement (POA).
12. Be sure you make note of any funding/resource budget impact associated with any of your POAs. The GCCPlanning POA Goals Form has an optional field “Funding/Resources” to note this.

Step 2: Consider Goals vs Activities

One of the hardest things writing POAs is stepping above individual pieces of work needing to be done to achieve the higher-level goal.

• Goals are long-range, broad, general statements describing a desired condition or future toward which the department/unit will work. 
• Objectives are short range, tangible, and describe the results to be achieved.
• An activity is a set of tasks that accomplish an objective.

When you start considering POA goals, write down all the different pieces of work (activities) that need to be done.  Then group and organize the activities if they seem related to a common goal.

POA Goals should clearly describe needs that would be met, problems that would be solved, behavior that would be changed, etc.

Always consider:  How will you know that what has been done produced the outcomes you expected?  If you are hoping to see something happen, ask yourself: Why do this, why is this needed, etc.

Non-POA Goals

You can (and should) have a system in place within your own unit to regularly monitor progress on those activities that consume a lot of your resources (time, staffing, money, etc.) but do not rise to the level of clearly impacting the Strategic Priority Outcomes (i.e. they have not been included on the “official” Plan of Achievement). This tracking may take place using any monthly (weekly) report that you develop yourself. Every unit is unique, so decide on a “system” that works best for you and meets any expectations set by your supervising VP/Divisional Leader.

Multi-year POAs

You may take more than one year to complete your POA (e.g. By June 30, 2025 as a result of doing something…). If so, you will carry that objective over on your Plan of Achievement each year until completed (or revised or ceased) and you will continue to provide regular progress updates, three times per year, via your Tri-Annual Reporting.

Step 3: Formula for Writing POA Goal Statements

POA Goal Formula Statement: “By [COMPLETION DATE], as a result of [EFFORT/ACTIVITY], [DESIRED NUMBER] will [OUTCOME/IMPACT] as documented by [PROOF].

Focus on what you hope will happen as a result of the effort (the outcome). The outcome should be measurable/quantifiable (the number/measure).  The proof will tell if the effort resulted in achievement of the measurable outcome.

POA Goal Writing Guidelines (with same field color coding as used above):

•  (Specific) Action/Effort - Your goal should define exactly what you plan to improve (target area for improvement).
  • e.g., The records office will implement new technology-based business processes and provide corresponding training to all records staff members.
•  (Measurable) Measured/Demonstrated - Your goal should be trackable and numeric (or specify other criteria to be used as a measurable indicator of progress/attainment).
  • e.g., At least 3 staff members will complete time spent reports for at least one of the following tasks: Course Catalog Maintenance, Course Schedule Maintenance, Program Maintenance, Degree Works Maintenance, Requests from other departments and Professional Development.
•  (Attainable) Outcome/Results Expected - Your goal should be realistic (who will do it and how; consider steps that can be taken).
  •  e.g., 50% of Records Office staff members will be able to produce task specific time reporting.
• (Relevant) Strategic Goal Link - Your goal should contribute to the College’s Strategic Plan.
  • e.g., Priority Four – Core Objective 3
•  (Time Bound) Deadline/Goal Completion Date - Your goal should be grounded within a time frame (have a timeline for meeting the goal).
  • e.g., 12/31/2021

POA Examples:

See Appendix 1 for an optional POA template.

1. >Example 1: By 8/31/2026, as the result of an annual review of at least 2 collection areas, materials for 10 library collection areas will be updated, added or removed to improve relevance and a new business process will be defined to ensure a continual relevance review of collection materials.
2. Example 2: By August 2022, as a result of collaboration with local community groups, 10% of the students enrolled at the Livingston county campus centers will have participated in an internship, community service project or a cooperative learning experience, as documented by attendance records and reports.
3. Example 3: By the end of June 2022, as a result of targeted outreach, school counselor relationship building, and fulfilling all high school requests for Instant Admit Days at their schools, an increase will be seen from the prior year's total for the number of high schools serviced and the number of applications submitted as reflected in our annual report.

Appendix 2: Strategic Priorities and Core Objectives

The following has been copy/pasted from www.genesee.edu > About > Strategic Planning.

1. Student Support & Success

Commit to the success of every student; provide programs and services designed to assist our diverse student body in achieving individual educational goals.

• Core Objective 1: Support students in their development and achievement of individual educational goals.
• Core Objective 2: Support student progress rates at all segments of the college career.
• Core Objective 3: Support academic progress of students needing developmental support.
• Core Objective 4: Improve successful outcomes (completion, transfer, and/or employment) for full-time and part-time cohorts.

2. Teaching & Learning

Provide dynamic educational experiences that afford all members of the college community flexible opportunities to meet their career, educational, and personal enrichment goals.

• Core Objective 1: Develop an inclusive teaching and learning-centered environment that fosters student success and attainment of Institutional Learning Outcomes.
• Core Objective 2: Support faculty and staff development toward creating an environment of pedagogical and andragogical excellence.
• Core Objective 3: Continue meaningful, cyclical assessment of courses and programs to ensure relevance, quality, and compliance.
• Core Objective 4: Expand student opportunities to apply learning beyond the classroom environment (e.g. internships, community service, cooperative learning, etc.)
• Core Objective 5: Expand student learning opportunities that reduce or eliminate time and place restrictions.

3. Diversity & Inclusive Excellence

Cultivate a community that fosters respect and appreciation for individual and group differences. Demonstrate our commitment to the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout all endeavors.

• Core Objective 1: Increase recruitment, retention, and completion of underrepresented student populations.
• Core Objective 2: Create opportunities to help students develop competencies associated with equity, diversity, and inclusion within courses, certificates, and/or degree programs.
• Core Objective 3: Expand co-curricular and student life opportunities that will foster interactions to help students develop competencies associated with diversity, inclusion, global citizenship, social justice, equity, and community fairness.
• Core Objective 4: Increase employment and retention of underrepresented populations.
• Core Objective 5: Enhance the cultural awareness, skills, and competencies of employees.

4. Fiscal, Operational & Infrastructure Sustainability

Maintain efficient, effective operations; identify and pursue new or additional sources of revenue and financial support; monitor and improve campus infrastructure; foster a safe environment.

• Core Objective 1: Pursue opportunities to increase sources of revenue.
• Core Objective 2: Continue offering competitive tuition and fee rates within the Western New York region and beyond.
• Core Objective 3: Act as good stewards of college resources and maintain accountability to stakeholders and partners.
• Core Objective 4: Develop and implement strategic initiatives in support of economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable goals.
• Core Objective 5: Align and execute all institutional master plans (facilities, technology, etc.) in conjunction with the College’s Strategic Plan.

5. Campus & Community Engagement

Create an open and transparent, trust-based environment that inspires creativity and innovation. Cultivate and foster meaningful relationships with community partners.

• Core Objective 1: Broaden and refine communication channels to promote institutional transparency, collaboration, and effectiveness.
• Core Objective 2: Provide and support faculty and staff with opportunities to contribute to the college community and the GLOW region.
• Core Objective 3: Support the emotional, physical, and social wellness of our students, faculty and staff.
• Core Objective 4: Enrich the local workforce by increasing collaboration with key employment sectors and offering programs to address gaps in the employment skills throughout the community.
• Core Objective 5: Strengthen synergies from community partnerships and legislative advocacy efforts in ways that support our mission and values.

This training is complete. Thank you!

If you:

• Have any questions on or issues with GCCPlanning
• Need information on GCCPlanning goals you are not finding
• Are not understanding the GCCPlanning information you find
• Have any suggestions for instruction improvements

Please send an email with a description of your issue/question to GCCPlanning@genesee.edu and someone from the GCCPlanning Committee will get back to you.

Additional Resources