This section is based on an article in the Work Group Evaluation Handbook: Evaluating and Supporting Community Initiatives for Health and Development by Stephen B. Fawcett, Adrienne Paine-Andrews, Vincent T. Francisco, Jerry Schultz, Kimber P. Richter, R.K. Lewis, E.L. Williams, K.J. Harris, Jannette Berkley, Jacqueline L. Fisher, and Christine M. Lopez of the Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
-
What is a goal attainment report?
-
Why create a goal attainment report?
-
When should you use a goal attainment report?
-
How do you create a goal attainment report?
What is a goal attainment report?
A calendar, checklist, or project tracker can help you organize responsibilities and review what you have completed. A goal attainment report serves a similar purpose for a community initiative. It compares documented progress with the goals and objectives in your action plan, showing what has been completed, what remains underway, and where adjustments may be needed.
For example, a substance use prevention initiative might plan to deliver three workshops at a local high school between August and December. Its action plan could specify the topics, facilitators, intended participants, and delivery dates. This is an implementation objective supporting a broader prevention goal.
In January, the group could review its records to determine whether all three workshops took place as planned. If the agreed requirements were met, the report could mark that objective as complete. Workshop completion does not, by itself, demonstrate changes in substance use or well-being; those outcomes require additional evidence.
Why create a goal attainment report?
Reviewing completed steps can make a large project easier to manage. It helps people see how individual tasks contribute to a broader purpose and identify responsibilities that need attention. A goal attainment report provides a shared record for these discussions.
Recognizing progress can also help sustain motivation. At the same time, an honest account of unfinished work can reveal barriers, resource needs, or assumptions that should be reconsidered. The report is most useful when it supports both accountability and learning.
A goal attainment report can help you:
- Track progress toward clearly defined objectives over time
- Keep the initiative's work connected to its action plan and community priorities
- Communicate accomplishments, challenges, and next steps to community members, partners, and funders
When should you use a goal attainment report?
Establish the reporting process when you develop the action plan, and update records as work progresses. A six-month summary may be useful, but choose a schedule that matches your deadlines and decisions. Shorter projects may need more frequent reviews, while longer-term goals may require interim milestones. The time needed to prepare each report depends on the scope of the work and the quality of existing records.
How do you create a goal attainment report?
The following five steps can help you prepare and use a goal attainment report.
List the goals and objectives
Begin with the goals and objectives in your action plan. For each item, identify what completion means, the expected deadline, who is responsible, and what evidence will demonstrate progress. Distinguish activities, such as holding workshops, from community changes, such as adopting a new practice, and longer-term outcomes. Document any revisions to the plan so readers can understand what changed and why.
Identify completed goals and progress on unfinished work
Review supporting records with the people responsible for each objective. Record a completion date when the agreed requirements have been met, and note whether completion was on time. For unfinished items, describe progress, barriers, and next steps. For example, if a workshop scheduled for October 5 took place on October 12, record the actual date and the delay rather than treating completion and timeliness as the same measure.
Calculate the percentage of goals completed
Define which goals or objectives are included in the reporting period before calculating a percentage. You might report progress on all annual objectives or only those due by the review date; make that choice explicit. Count completed items using the agreed criteria, and describe partial progress separately. Explain any added, revised, or discontinued items rather than silently removing them from the calculation.
To calculate the percentage completed, divide the number of completed items by the total number included, then multiply by 100. If 13 of 16 annual objectives are complete, the calculation is (13 ÷ 16) × 100 = 81.25%, or about 81%. This is a completion rate, not a grade or proof of effectiveness. Objectives may differ greatly in importance, difficulty, and scope, so interpret the percentage alongside descriptions of what was accomplished. If no objectives are included in a reporting period, report the percentage as not applicable.
Communicate your results
Share a clear summary with community members, participants, staff, partners, and funders. Include the reporting period, the goals assessed, completion dates, evidence sources, and explanations of important delays or changes. Report accomplishments and unfinished work fairly, and distinguish progress on activities from evidence of community outcomes. Use accessible language and formats, with enough detail for readers to understand the figures.
Use the report to guide improvement
Review the findings with people involved in and affected by the initiative. If objectives were completed, ask what supported progress and whether the work contributed to the intended benefits. If progress was limited, examine factors such as resources, coordination, accessibility, timelines, or changing community conditions before deciding what to adjust.
Unfinished work can provide useful information about the action plan. Agree on specific changes, assign responsibilities, and set a date to review progress. Revise objectives when there is a sound reason, but preserve a record of the original commitments and the reasons for revision. A high completion rate should not replace attention to meaningful results, and a low rate should prompt inquiry rather than automatic blame.
In Summary
A goal attainment report provides a practical record of progress against agreed commitments. Use clear completion criteria, accurate records, and transparent calculations to show what has been achieved and what needs attention. Combined with evidence about participants' experiences and community outcomes, the report can support informed decisions about what to continue, adapt, or strengthen.